Soul Fliers
by XlaraC
Summary: What if there was more beyond vampires and werewolves - it's possible, right? Right. Isabella Swan is said 'more', and the Cullens are about to find that out, whether it be the easy way, or the hard way.
1. Sapphire

**Soul Fliers**

**Chapter 1: Sapphire**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight – that particular masterpiece belongs to Stephenie Meyer.**

"_**Oh, the summer night, Has a smile of light, And she sits on a **__**sapphire **__**throne.**__**" – Barry Cornwall**_

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Being vampires, we should have assumed that there was more to the supernatural world than us and werewolves. Being a mythical creature yourself should block out all thoughts that certain things shouldn't exist.

Now, after finding her, it opened up our minds – _what else is out there? Ghosts? Demons? Witches? _If we could exist, and she could exist, and the wolves could exist, why couldn't other things exist?

If you had told me, a year ago, that I was going to have the most perfect woman in the entire world as a mate, I probably would have laughed in your face. There was no way a monster such as I could deserve her, but I was the one she wanted. Not that human boy, Mike Newton. Not that stinking wolf, Jacob Black. She wanted _me_, and I will never stop wondering why. How she could have chosen me, what I did to deserve her, they are all unknown to me. But I do know this; I will forever cherish her, and if one day she decides to leave me for someone else, I will be happy for her, even when on the inside I would be dying.

The moment she stopped breathing, I would follow. I could promise that.

This is the story of how I, Edward Cullen, found my soul's mate inside the tiny body of Isabella Swan.

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She came suddenly and quickly; one day, the citizens of Forks were spending their time complaining about the weather, and the next day, their thoughts were consumed about the new addition to our population.

Isabella Swan, an emancipated sixteen year-old from somewhere up in Canada. She had, apparently, been spotted as she bought food from the Thriftway, and she had made a phone call into the school to register. The town filled with rumours about her, rumours about her parents, rumours about why she was emancipated, rumours about her being an orphan, and the like. The one to spot her was Cassandra Stanley – one of the most known gossips in town. As you may guess, half of the things she said about this Isabella were most likely untrue – I hadn't bothered to check through her mind.

My family and I didn't show much interest; we couldn't get too close to the humans, so what was the point about learning of the new girl? Alice would sometimes mention something she had heard, and we would all roll our eyes about the ridiculousness of small town rumours. We highly doubted that this girl was as special as they were making her out to be.

None of us had ever been so wrong.

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Isabella Swan's first day of school was like anyone else's, I suppose, when it pertains to the standards set at Forks High. There were even more rumours spread, every human was talking and thinking about her, the attention was – for once – away from us and completely on her. I almost felt bad for her; none of the teenagers here in Forks would make good friends.

All the boys were fantasizing all morning, and I saw her face and body many times, though never with my own eyes. In fact, lunch showed me that none of my siblings had gotten a glimpse of her. Through the humans' thoughts, I could tell that she didn't fit in very well. As the weather usually had people feeling more gloomy than anything here, though many people tried to go past the wet and cold, people here generally dressed in more neutral colours – browns, greys, beiges, light yellows, dark blues; nothing that 'popped' too much.

In the mind of the teenagers, I had seen that she was wearing very bright things – emerald green converses, matched with an emerald green backpack and tee-shirt. She wore white skinny jeans, and a midnight blue sweater. All of her accessories – a necklace, earrings, and bracelets, were either sky blue or black. Definitely more colour than anybody in Forks had seen in quite a long time.

The horde of students, typically, got quiet as the doors opened; it was easy to assume that Isabella Swan had just entered the cafeteria. We glanced up, a little curious, and took her in.

The students had been actually quite accurate in their mental pictures; not too much had been exaggerated. I could hear Alice beside me, squealing about her 'awesome taste in clothes'; Rosalie was mentally comparing Isabella to her own image, and was angered at how beautiful this human was; Emmett was making fun of her size – she was only an inch or two taller than Alice; Jasper was hoping he didn't harm her.

And I... well, in a way, I was agreeing with Rosalie – something unheard of. This girl, this Isabella Swan, was the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. The bright colours she surrounded herself in were obviously a character trait: the smile on her face complimented the vibrant tones perfectly. Her mahogany hair hung in waves down to the small of her back, and I could see headphones hanging around her neck, most likely leading to an iPod.

She walked gracefully – and happily – over to the queue, buying a small salad, before turning around and looking around the cafeteria. She bit her lip, her smile fading a little, and I felt a pull in my chest. For some reason, I didn't like it when she seemed sad. I didn't know why, though...

Her eyes met mine, and she froze. I counted exactly seventeen seconds before she began moving again. She walked in our direction – completely ignoring the people who were calling her name. I made a mental note that she had told the people she had already spoken to that she preferred to be called 'Bella', claiming that she thought her full given name was too formal; how ironic that she would have a name that meant 'beautiful', when she was much more than that.

Jasper and Rosalie were in a slight panic – Jasper because he didn't want to slip up, and Rosalie because she didn't want a human coming to talk to us. Emmett seemed curious – most humans avoided us, their instincts preventing them from approaching us. Alice seemed excited, but then again when was she not? I didn't take my eyes off of the girl as she approached, watching her every move.

Finally, she was right in front of us, and her smile was bright again. The feeling in my chest lifted as I observed that she was happy again, and again I wondered where it had come from. I hadn't felt anything like that again, but I suppose I just thought that such a beautiful girl shouldn't be sad, even if it was only a little bit.

She looked at us again, biting her lip – but her smile never dimmed – before taking a breath and speaking. "Hi, my name's Bella Swan. Do you mind if I sit with you?"

Her voice was airy, and reminded me of the wind blowing in the forest. It seemed that Alice had seen what Rosalie was going to say, so she took control of the situation. "Or course, I'm Alice, and these are my brothers, Edward and Emmett; my boyfriend, Jasper, and his sister and Emmett's girlfriend, Rosalie. It's nice to meet you, Bella!" She chirped excitedly, as per usual.

She sat down in the empty seat to my left and Alice's right. "Thanks, it's nice to meet you, too." She looked behind her at the people who were still staring at her in awe, before turning back to us and speaking again. "You didn't seem like the type to gossip, so I figured you were my safe bet."

Alice was practically bouncing in her seat now; she must have seen something that I missed. All of her good visions always seemed to come when I was distracted by something else... though, I had never been distracted by a human girl before...

_She doesn't smell very human._ Jasper's thought knocked me out of my own world, convincing me to take a deep lungful in of her scent. And, he was correct. There was none of the usual burning I had always coincided with the scent of humans. Instead, I got a whiff of the ocean, and pine trees. Her scent just reminded me of nature, as if she had just been outside amongst the trees near the coast. However, I knew that was not so – lunch had only started around eight minutes before; there was no way she had time to go near the water's edge in the time between her fourth period ending and coming into the cafeteria. It was impossible even for a vampire; well, not really, but we wouldn't smell so strongly of it.

And certainly, our throats should have been burning with the presence of her blood? I could hear her heartbeat, so I knew she wasn't one of us, and besides, her eyes were brown – neither the red nor gold our kind were known for. Her skin was also slightly tanned, not the deathly pale ours' was. No, she was certainly not a vampire, but she didn't smell human.

I was carried back to the one time I had met with a creature I had previously thought did not exist – the wolves that resided along the coast, a mere fifteen miles down the road from where we sat currently. The Quileutes that lived on the reservation called La Push had some kind of magic running through their veins that caused a select few of them to have the ability to shift into abnormally large wolves. We had made a treaty with them around seventy years ago, our first time in Forks. That was back before Alice and Jasper had joined us, but we had told them about it. The treaty stated that we – our family – were not allowed to cross the border into Quileute territory, nor were we allowed to bite a human. If we broke these rules, it gave the wolves of La Push permission to tear us apart and burn the pieces.

Needless to say, none of us planned on breaking the treaty any time soon.

When we arrived back here some two years ago, we weren't sure if the pack was still around. Turns out it was, but of course the original pack we had made the treaty with was long dead. While we had made the treaty with Ephraim Black, we discussed the addition of Alice and Jasper to our family with Samuel Uley. Ephraim's pack had been only three members strong, but this wolf pack had six members – last time we checked; Samuel, of course, Jared Scott, Paul Long, Jacob Black, Embry Call, and Quil Ateara. Jacob Black was a direct descendent of Ephraim, and was second-in-command, having turned down the position to be Alpha.

The scent of the wolves was revolting to us; it was impossible for us to venture close to them without wrinkling our noses, trying to get the smell away from us. We didn't get along very well with the wolves, but we were civil. They didn't particularly smell human, either, which was why I was reminded of them when I took in the scent of Bella.

Unlike the wolves, she smelled good – very good, in fact – but like the wolves, she didn't smell human. She smelled... like something else.

Lunch passed quickly, and my other siblings had noticed her scent as well. Even Alice had uncharacteristically calmed down, not trying to begin another conversation with Bella. Their thoughts, like mine, were trying to find if they had ever smelled anything like her before. Bella ate quickly and silently, and about half way through lunch she had pulled out a sketch pad and began drawing.

When the bell ran she didn't flinch at all, just put away her things and picking up her tray as she stood. She looked at us for a moment, finally deciding to go ahead and say whatever she was thinking about. "Thanks for letting me sit with you guys; I'm sure it wouldn't have been as pleasant if I had taken up Jessica's offer," she smiled.

"It was no problem, Bella," Alice told her. "See you later?"

She bit her lip. "Well, actually, I have to go home. The last few things I had shipped over from back home are supposed to arrive sometime this afternoon, so I'll have to talk to you again tomorrow."

Alice actually looked a little sad; yes, it was quite obvious now that she had seen something pertaining to Bella. "Oh, okay. See you tomorrow, then."

"See you tomorrow, vampires," she smiled at our shocked faces, giggled and waved, before making her exit. We were too confused and worried to go after her, and by the time we did, she was no longer in the parking lot; she had already left.

Emmett spoke seriously for once. "We have to talk to Carlisle when he gets home from work," he nodded as he was saying it.

We all agreed, still shocked, before heading for our classes; we would have skipped, but we didn't want to draw attention to ourselves.

On the way to class, it hit me suddenly. Sure, I had noticed, but I hadn't thought too much of it before.

I hadn't even gotten a whisper from the mind of Isabella Swan.

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**Well, I hope you guys like this story as much as you liked **_**Tier in Geist.**_** I, personally, really enjoyed writing this, and I hope it goes in the direction I want it to go on. In case you didn't catch it, this story will be completely in Edwards point of view. **

**The blog to this story is www . xlarac-sf . blogspot . com – just get rid of the spaces, and you should be fine.**

**Review, please; tell me what you think!**

**Remember me, XlaraC**


	2. Emerald

**Soul Fliers**

**Chapter 2: Emerald**

"_**The road to the City of Emeralds is paved with yellow brick.**__**" – L. Frank Baum**_

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"Well, this is definitely shocking," were the first words out of Carlisle's mouth after we explained to him about Isabella Swan.

"Shocking? This isn't shocking, it's terrible! She knows, and Edward can't read her mind; we have to do something, she's a threat to the family," Rosalie snapped, angered that Carlisle didn't have more to say about this situation than that.

"Rosalie, we don't even know for sure that she isn't human; as long as she doesn't tell anyone about what we are, I don't see a problem with her knowing about us." He spoke calmly yet assertively; he made the final decision, and we had to listen to him. We all chose to follow Carlisle, and that is what we did.

I can't say that I wasn't relieved that he didn't want to 'get rid of the problem' in Rosalie's words; that odd feeling that had first awoken when her smile had dimmed slightly had only grown - didn't want her to be 'taken care of'. She didn't deserve to die, not someone as happy and pure as she seemed to be. She wasn't a monster, like I was; she had a life in front of her to live, and I was going to do everything in my power to make sure she lived it.

Rosalie wasn't going to stop me.

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The next day at school began just as the day before had, except now we knew what to expect from the newest addition to Forks High. We were still slightly wary, but Alice said the first time we would run into her would be when she came to join us again for lunch; we had all agreed to try to figure out how she knew about us, and what she was; we had thought about it over the night, and decided once and for all that Isabella Swan couldn't be human – not with a scent like that.

The thoughts of the humans were once again circled around her – and her bright clothes. They were once again confirmed when she entered the cafeteria decked out in yellow converses, red pants, and a long-sleeved red sweater. Her bag was yellow, and her accessories were all red. It was easy to tell that she adored bright colours, and even the whispers about how different she was weren't going to turn her away from them. At least she didn't seem acceptant to peer pressure.

Once again, she grabbed a small salad from the queue, this time grabbing a water bottle as well, before turning around. The difference today was that she didn't hesitate; she walked directly over to our table, taking the same seat she had yesterday and smiling brightly at us all. "Hello, again!"

"Hi, Bella," Alice said, a little more reserved than yesterday – but who wouldn't be if their biggest secret had been discovered somehow by the new girl? "How are you?" She asked, hesitantly.

"I'm fine; just great, actually. How are you guys?" She opened up the container her salad was in, taking a few bites, before opening her bottle quickly and swallowing about half of it. We watched her for awhile, before she glanced at us in question and we realized that we hadn't answered her yet.

"We're all good," I answered stupidly, without going into detail. She looked at me, the – by now – familiar smile on her lips, before nodding and looking over all of us.

"That's great; I mean, I don't want you to be unwell, or anything," she rambled slightly, smacking her lips shut when she finished talking, and nodding again, as if she approved of what she had just said.

We weren't sure how to bring up the fact that she knew what we were, and that we knew she wasn't human, but she didn't leave that up to us. Her next words opened the conversation quite solidly. "So, I'm sorry about that bomb I dropped on you guys yesterday – I'm not very good at being subtle; I'm more of a blunt talker," she said. "I didn't really think about it, I kind of just... said it," she looked up at us sheepishly, blushing.

"It's alright; we were just a little... surprised," Alice said after we all turned towards her, getting ready to talk to her.

"A little _surprised_? If somebody had said something like that randomly to me my jaw would _still_ be lying somewhere on the ground. Seriously, I'm sorry; I should learn how to use tact and manners," she mumbled the last part, but of course we heard it. You don't miss much with vampire hearing.

"Bella, really, it's okay," Alice insisted, trying to speed the conversation along a little bit.

Bella perked up a little at Alice's insistence, smiling again at us. "Okay, if you say so." She seemed to bounce back fast; poor Jasper. I could hear him wondering at her rapid mood swing in his mind. She remained quiet, and I looked at her, trying to delve into the pool that was her thought process. Was there something wrong with her? Why couldn't I hear her? Was there something wrong with _me_?

After another attempt at reading her, she turned to me and for the first time irritation sparkled in her eyes. "Will you stop doing that?" She snapped at me, sounding a little angry, but mostly annoyed.

"Doing what?" I asked, surprised. Nobody had noticed before when I had tried to read them – though, I had never had to _try_ before; my talent came naturally to me.

"Whatever you are doing with my head, stop it," she told me, narrowing her eyes at me as I widened mine – so she had noticed, but how?

"Okay, okay, I'll stop," I told her after she didn't move her angry brown eyes away from me. That same feeling in my chest strum through me again; I didn't like it when she was angry, especially when she was angry at _me_. I wondered if Jasper would be able to tell me what the feeling was... I would need to ask him later.

"Thank you," she brightened up again. It was like flicking a light switch with her; one moment she's sad or angry, the next she's the happiest person I'd ever met. Her smile even surpassed Alice's, as if it were natural for her to be happy – as easy as breathing. "Now, I know you guys want to talk about, you know, me knowing and all that, but I think it's best if we did so away from prying ears," she motioned towards the group of humans a couple of feet away, who were constantly glancing in our direction and returning to their gossiping.

"Yes, I think that is best," Jasper spoke up for the first time, catching on to the eavesdropping humans, as well; you weren't allotted very much privacy in a small town. Everybody always thought they had the right to know everything, which they didn't. Nobody had the right to pry into other people's business. The problem is, humans had forgotten that over the decades since I had been human myself. The era I was born into was much different; it's hard to believe that it was just over a hundred years ago.

"Good," she smiled again, before turning back to her salad. She finished it in five minutes, drinking the other half of her bottled water, before once again reaching in her bag and pulling out a sketch pad. She started drawing, and it seemed that not even Rosalie could hold back her curiosity, despite her obvious hostility.

"What are you drawing?" She asked Bella, a hint of wonder in her voice. So, she had noticed how different this girl was, not just with not being human. There was something about Isabella Swan that made you care for her, made you want to know her.

"I'm trying to draw my mother; I've been trying to draw her for years, but I can never seem to get it quite right. I'm determined this time," she spoke quietly without looking away.

"May we see?" Emmett asked, holding out his hand slightly, hesitantly.

She looked up at him, her face set in a mask of determination and annoyance – whether it was directed towards herself, or at us, I didn't know. After all, _I couldn't read her mind_. And, no, that little fact did not bother me at all.

Ah, Denial. As Emmett would say, it's not just a river in Egypt.

She didn't answer us, just handed the pad over to Emmett, who looked at it. I got a glimpse of it in his mind, but waited until he handed it across to me so that Alice and I could see it. Rosalie and Jasper had looked over his shoulders, and had seemed a little in awe of her talent. And, looking at it, I must say she was an amazing artist.

It was as if I was looking at a photograph, not a picture she had drawn. The woman had the same brown hair as Bella, though it was shorter and straighter. Her eyes were a mix of green and brown, a pretty shade of hazel. There was a slight smirk on her face, as if she was thinking of some private joke. She didn't look more than thirty years old, but it looked like she had a good life, if you could judge that fact by the number of laugh lines a person had.

"You're very talented," Rosalie told her while I was still looking it over. We all were shocked – Rose, while not completely rude and selfish, wasn't one to willingly give out compliments very often. It was a very high praise to hear a compliment from Rosalie Hale. We all nodded, agreeing with her; on the subject of Bella's artistic talent, there was no doubt that she was good, very good.

"Thanks," she whispered, taking the pad back from me and continuing to add little details to it. "I just, I don't want to forget her, you know?" She asked, though it was obviously rhetorical. I suppose, nobody would want to forget their mother, but wasn't she emancipated? It's your choice, so she must have chosen to go through the emancipation.

"Why would you forget her? Can't you still go and see her, even though your parents can't legally support you anymore?" Jasper asked, confused. He knew the details of all the legal acts, especially emancipation; you could call it a hobby of his, though obsession might be more correct.

She looked up at us, surprised. "Wow, I would have thought in a small town like this someone would have found, and told everybody," she laughed humourlessly. "No, I can't go and see my parents. I didn't get emancipated from them, I got emancipated from the government," she told us, as if that would clear it up for us. She sighed when she noticed the blank looks on our faces, knowing that we still didn't understand. "My parents died when I was young, and I didn't like being in the foster care system, so I filed for emancipation.

Oh. _Oh. _If there were ever a time I wished that I could rewind time, it would be now. I wish I could go back and take back the question, somehow make Jasper just accept what little she had said. We didn't need to pry about her family when it was obvious that not all was well there; if she wanted to tell us that they had died, she would have – right? Well, I hope she would have told us. I hope she knows that she can trust us with keeping a secret; after all, _we_ physically are the best-kept secret in Forks. Nobody even suspected anything about us being nonhuman. We were good at hiding it.

She didn't look as sad as I expected her to be, but even so... "Sorry we pried," I told her, hoping to take her mind off of it.

"It's alright; it happened a long time ago, I've gotten over it. I just, don't want to forget them, so I draw them. I got my Dad right years ago, but there was just always something about my mother that kept me guessing." She smiled wistfully, most likely remembering something far off, a memory long since passed of people who were already dead. I could empathize with her, there; the not wanting to forget. I hung on as best as I could to the few human memories that had survived the change, not wanting to forget my birth parents even when Carlisle and Esme did a more than perfect job of filling that parental role. I was very lucky to have them, but still, they weren't my birth parents; it wasn't quite the same.

I nodded in acknowledgement to what she had said, and was just about to say something, when the bell signalling the end rang. It spooked us a little – for once, we hadn't been paying any attention to the time; Bella wasn't moved at all, just simply did the same thing as the day before, slipping her supplies away and throwing out her trash. She turned around, watching me for a moment with an emotion I couldn't decipher in her eyes.

"Edward, you have Biology next, correct?" She asked me, smiling when I nodded. "So do I; walk with me?" She asked sweetly, looking at me from under her eyelashes. I was powerless to refuse her, so I answered by placing my hand on the small of her back and leading her in the right direction. She was so warm...

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There ended up being a pop quiz in Biology so Bella and I couldn't talk, even though I was happy that the only available seat was next to me. We also shared the next class, Gym; so basically, my afternoons would be filled with Bella, which I found myself quite looking forward to. I enjoyed spending time with her, and wanted to do it more often.

As the last bell rang, we separated to head into the change rooms; I beat her out, so decided I would wait for her. When she came out, she was once again decked in her bright colours – I still thought they suited her. I don't think darker colours would look quite as good on her, but then again she might surprise me.

I walked her to her car, which was beat up old truck that I was honestly surprised was even running, and she told my siblings and I – who had joined us – that she would just follow behind us, since she didn't know that way. We agreed, and drove off; Alice had already called Carlisle to tell him to come home.

The entire ride was spent in anxiety; we were anxious to get the conversation over with, to know how she knew, to know why told us she knew...

...to know what she is.

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**Another day, another chapter. Don't you just love reading and/or writing? I do!**

**Hope I didn't disappoint with this one; I'm looking forward to seeing where I take this. And, no, if you ask me I won't tell you what Bella is; you'll just have to find out as Edward does ;).**

**Review, please!**

**Remember me, XlaraC**


	3. Violet

**Soul Fliers**

**Chapter 3: Violet**

"_**Forgiveness is the fragrance that the**____**violet**____**sheds on the heel that has crushed it.**__**" – Mark Twain**_

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As expected, both Carlisle and Esme were waiting for us on the front porch. They were both looking curiously at Bella's truck, though we could all tell that their eyes were actually fixated on the driver of said truck. Actually, I'm not even sure if that think can classify as truck; the think belongs in a junkyard.

We walked towards our 'parents', while Bella grabbed her bright yellow bag and leaped down from her truck, landing gracefully on the driveway. She waved towards Carlisle and Esme, slamming her door. I wasn't surprised when I saw little flecks of rust fall to the ground.

She met up with us on the porch, and before we could say anything, she held out her hand towards Carlisle. "Hi, I'm Bella Swan; you must be Dr. Cullen?" She asked, though her voice hinted that she already knew exactly who he was.

Carlisle shook her hand. "Call me Carlisle, please, and this is my wife, Esme; you already know the children," he added pointlessly.

She turned towards Esme, shaking her hand, as well. "It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Cullen," she said politely.

"Just Esme, please, dear," she returned the smile that was the ever present companion to Isabella Swan's face.

"Esme." She said, her smile somehow widening; I hadn't thought it possible, but I was glad that she was happier. "Now, I believe there are some things you wish to discuss with me?" She looked over all of us, waiting for an answer – an answer that she already knew.

We said nothing, but Esme lead her inside the house, and motioned for her to take a seat on the couch in the living room. We all took seats that would face her, and got as comfortable as a creature made of frozen stone can get – comfort wasn't needed for us. We could sit or stand in any position for weeks, and would still find it just as comfortable as it had been when we first positioned ourselves in it. We tried to act more human, fidgeting, shifting our weight, blinking; all those kind of things. They were habits of ours now, to help us blend in.

Bella's bright clothing contrasted greatly with the light colours of our house, the fiery mix of yellow and red clashing with the subtle cream-coloured couch. Esme enjoyed making our houses as light and open as possible; our home was the one place we didn't have to hide what we were – unless, of course, we had a guest. We didn't have visitors too often, though; humans shied away from us. But whatever Bella was, her instincts didn't tell her to keep away from the vampires, so... here she was.

The silence continued, until Carlisle decided to take the reins and begin the conversation. He got right to the point. "Bella, the children say that you know what we are; might you tell us how you discovered our secret?" He asked politely; it would always be Bella's choice whether or not she wanted to share, but if we had to there were ways to make her.

"That's a rather long story," she bit her lip. "I'll edit a bit to make it shorter. For one, just to help you understand, I'm immortal." She smiled at our shocked faces, not giving us anytime to comment on what she had just said. "A number of years ago, I came across three of your kind; their names were James, Victoria, and Laurent. They fascinated me, with their fast speeds, great strength, and amazing senses. They had accidently uncovered what I was, and were interested in learning about me – in turn, they told me about themselves. About the Volturi, and vampiric talents, and that some of their kind had yellow eyes, meaning that they fed from animals. I knew what you were from first sight." She explained. "I didn't have any doubt that you were just like them, just more civilized. After they had learned everything about me they could, they tried to attack me, but I fled, not leaving a trail. I moved from place to place, avoiding the members of your kind that sported red eyes. Meeting you was sort of like a dream, to know that the yellow eyes really did exist," she sighed, wistfully, and happily. She didn't explain any further than that, and so we assumed that she had finished her story.

I found myself angered at the thought of somebody trying to hurt her, as perfect, and happy, and beautiful as she was. I didn't understand where the feelings were coming from, but I knew that I would protect her if need be. Jasper threw me and odd look, but I didn't bother to check his thoughts to see what he was thinking; I would talk to him later.

"That's an interesting story, Bella; how many years ago was this?" Esme asked, now even more curious about this fascinating, new creature.

"I haven't exactly kept track of the years, but if I had to guess, I'd say around 57 years..." she trailed, off before nodding decidedly. "Yes, it was 57 years ago."

_She really is immortal; I don't feel anything but honest emotions from her, she's telling the truth. _Jasper's thoughts broke through my barrier – I had been trying to block them out, wanting to focus on what Bella was talking about.

"And they are still after you?" I asked, angry, and wanting to go out and find them and destroy them before they could hurt her.

She looked at me a little oddly, before smiling with a knowing look on her face. "I don't think they are actively searching for me anymore, but I suppose if I were to come across them again they wouldn't hesitate to attempt another attack." She said simply, her lovely, brown eyes boring into mine. I wasn't sure what emotion was playing out across my face, but it made her smile again, before her eyes flickered to Alice as me sister cleared her throat.

"What exactly are you, Bella?" Alice asked her, her voice completely serious; there was not even a single hint of her usual excitement.

Her smile was replaced with a smirk, and her eyes held a glint of mischief. "That's for me to know, and for you to find out." She said, her eyes glancing over every one of us.

**{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}**

Bella stayed for a couple of hours, thoroughly refusing every time one of us tried to pry out of her what she was. She would repeat that same sentence every time. "That's for me to know, and for you to find out."

Carlisle and Esme were the only ones to take her seriously in the fact that she was going to make us find out what she was by ourselves. After she waved and drove away, her rumbling truck disappearing down the drive way, Carlisle was almost instantaneously up in his study, looking up anything about immortal creatures he could – Jasper joined him, wanting to do research, as well. Alice was hiding something, repeating the American anthem in every language she knew, over and over and over again. She was trying really hard not to make me aware of what her mysterious vision was about. Rosalie and Emmett made their way to the garage, the former thinking about the fact that it had been awhile since she changed the oil on Alice's Porsche. I heard Alice thank her for doing so. Esme remained in the living room, drawing up her latest ideas for the house.

I didn't have anything better to do, so I headed on over to the piano, deciding for the first time in a long time – about twenty years or so – to play again. I hear Esme take in a deep breath as I pressed a few keys, checking if everything was still in tune; as it was, I began playing a song I could play easily without really thinking about it, my hands already remembering the movements needed to complete the tune.

_Thank you, Edward,_ Esme said as the first familiar notes of her song rang out in the silence of the house. It seemed that everybody had missed me playing, for they had all stopped to listen for a moment. I felt guilty, then; it had been so long since I had played, I hadn't realized how much my family had missed it. I resolved to play more often, if only for their enjoyment.

I nodded in Esme's direction, knowing she would see it. Alice came down from her room – where she had, predictably, been online shopping – and sat beside me on the bench, waiting for me to finish playing before she pressed the few notes of a song I had taught her a couple of months after she had first showed up at our door.

I laughed, and took up the song after she had finished, making her laugh as well. I had missed playing, I realized, and couldn't exactly remember why I had ever stopped. Also, I don't exactly know what possessed me to play for the first time in nearly two decades. My feelings had all been centering around confusion; I remembered about the talk with Jasper I wanted to have.

Checking where he was, I realized that he was deep in a conversation with Carlisle about the possibilities of Bella being a fairy; I chuckled a little – somehow, though I suppose some of her characteristics did match the standard myths about the Fae, I doubted that Bella was a fairy. She just didn't seem like anything of the common mythologies.

**{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}**

The weeks following at school was both irritating and relaxing. Bella never again brought up the fact that we weren't human, and she – obviously – never answered our questions about what _she_ was. She treated us like her friends, joking and playing around with us. She surprised Emmett one day by bringing a snowball inside the cafeteria from outside and throwing it at him. Let's just say they are _still_ in the middle of a snowball fight, even though the snow has long since melted. They're waiting anxiously for its return.

I enjoyed the talks I would have with her during Biology and Gym; they ranged from our favourite colours to our opinions on politicians. I discovered that through her optimistic attitude, she was actually very cynical, and often pessimistic. I hadn't had somebody to talk to about my opinions in so long, my family already knowing all of it that I found it refreshing. Also, her outlook on things were just so different from my families, it was easy to get sucked into the pool of her thoughts.

Over the weeks, it continued to frustrate me; the fact that I couldn't read her mind, I mean. She continued to throw me glares every time I tried, and I would just smile apologetically. She knew what I was trying to do.

Carlisle and Jasper didn't get any closer to what she could be, and we could tell that she knew that. Jasper would give her looks of complete frustration, and she would smile sweetly and wave at him, not offering any information.

We were stuck.

**{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}**

When I finally took the time to call Jasper away from his research, he had a feeling about why I wanted to talk to him.

_Is this about your emotions?_ He asked pointedly; he knew it was.

I nodded at him, and he looked at me for a moment. _I suppose you want me to explain to you what you've been feeling recently?_ He asked another question.

"Yes," I told him, nodding at the same time. I had been wondering about my feelings for some time now; I was ready to find out what they were, exactly.

_There's quite a mess of them, Edward. Confusion, need, want, desire, sadness, happiness, peace, curiosity, protectiveness, anger... love._

He left after I read that thought out of his mind, leaving me to stew over what he had told me. I could understand some of them, like curiosity and confusion. But the others...

...and love? I couldn't be in love with; I barely knew her. Well, okay, I knew her, but I had just met her. And when you're in love, aren't you supposed to realize it? But then again, I've never been in love before. Was it possible?

Did I love Isabella Swan?

**{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}**

It came randomly, the hint she gave us, some two months after her first day at Forks High.

"Okay!" She snapped as she was eating – she never differed from her choice of a small salad, though the water bottle was optional, it seemed. "I'm tired of you guys asking me questions, and looking at me all pitifully." She took a deep breath to calm herself, closing her eyes as she concentrated on the exhale. "Do you guys want a hint?"

If I hadn't wanted it just as much, I would have laughed at the comical display we put on as we all nodded viciously at her question. I also would have laughed as we all leaned forward slightly; trying to get as close to her we could so we could hear her properly. We were vampires; we would hear what she said from half a mile away.

She did laugh, not having to hold it back – she wasn't the one who wanted, no needed, the hint. We were almost driven to the point of desperation. "Okay, your hint is 'birds'."

Birds.

.._.birds._

"'Birds'?" Emmett asked incredulously. "That's all you're going to give us for a hint is 'birds'?"

She narrowed her eyes at him, seeming insulted, though I could see the hint of amusement in her eyes. "'Birds' is actually a _very_ good hint, Emmett; I wouldn't think of it too lightly." She warned him, and this time it seemed serious.

So, we knew she wasn't human, she was immortal, she smelled like pine trees near an ocean, and her species had something to do with 'birds'.

Later that night, Carlisle and Jasper were once again researching as much as they could – but this time, they had a hint, as small as birds was.

They didn't find anything that night.

**{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}**

**Another chapter finished; this one didn't come as easily as the first two, but here it is. Review, tell me what you think. It may be moving a little fast for Edward, but think about it – they've known Bella for weeks, and they're vampires; I think their instincts should be able to realize who their mates are, even before their minds realize it.**

**Remember me.**


	4. Garnet

**Soul Fliers**

**Chapter 4: Garnet**

"_**Once your blood runs**____**garnet**____**and gold, you need to learn the song.**__**" – Jason Johnston**_

**{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}**

"All I'm saying is that I've noticed over the years that the humans who are the most judgemental, are also the humans who say they hate stereotypes," Bella said one day at lunch as she ate – surprise, surprise – a small salad; this time, with water bottle. Her outfit consisted of colours commonly found in highlighters, today. Neon pinks, greens, oranges, and yellow. She was one of only a few people in the world who could pull that off.

The gossip had moved away from her – the humans had moved on with their lives. The reason we were having the conversation about stereotypes, though, was because we had overheard Jessica Stanley telling Mike Newton that Bella was still sitting with the 'freaky Cullens'. They all still couldn't understand what was so different about her that we had finally allowed someone else into our circle. Truth is, they were all just jealous.

"I've noticed that, too!" Rosalie exclaimed, joining in on what had previously been an Emmett-and-Bella conversation. Those two had hit it off pretty good; I shuddered when I thought about the trouble they could get into together.

I hadn't been thinking too much about what Jasper had said about my emotions; every once and awhile it would pop up in my thoughts, but I would always shove it away, thinking there was time to look deeper into it later. The way I was going, 'later' would never come.

I pushed the thoughts away, paying more attention to the conversation in front of me; I could think about it later.

**{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}**

After school that day – it was a Friday – Bella and I were listening to music in my room; the rest of my family had gone hunting, but I had already gone a couple of days before.

"What song is this?" I asked Bella quietly; we had moved on from my classical, to the number of burnt CDs Bella had in her truck. She had explained to me that every song had a meaning for her, so I was listening as best I could to pick out said meaning. I wasn't having much luck with it.

"Stop And Stare, by One Republic." She whispered. Her eyes were distant; she was obviously lost in thought, as she had been since the first song of hers had played. I had to admit she had good taste in music, though. I couldn't say that for the other members of my family – Emmett and Alice with their generic pop songs, Jasper with his country, and Rosalie with her... Rosalie didn't like music, all that much, actually. She would listen to it once in awhile, but she didn't really care what genre it was.

I was the music lover in the family, the only one who could play an instrument. I had learned a while ago that Bella knew how to play guitar, but that she didn't do it very often. I'm sure once Alice found out that little bit of information, we'd be having a show of her playing.

"Why do you listen to this song?" I asked her, trying to get further into the mind that I couldn't get a read on. Most of the songs she had were sad, which contrasted greatly with her positive demeanour. Just when I thought I was beginning to understand her, she throws something new in my face. She was a creature composed of complexities – try saying that ten times, fast.

"Well, I originally listened to it because of the first line – _this town is colder now, I think it's sick of us_ – but, really, it just makes me think about the fact that I'm immortal, so I can never stay in one place for too long." She whispered, her voice tinkling with sadness.

For some inexplicable reason, I reached over and wrapped my arms around her, trying to comfort her; I didn't want her to be sad, even if it was for something that I, too, resented about immortality. We remained like that for the duration of three songs, until we heard the door opening and the sound of my family's voices – they had returned from their hunt.

I found myself not wanting to move, wanting to remain in that spot with her for the rest of eternity. I wanted her to stay in my arms.

She did it for me, though, reaching up and curling out of my embrace. She smiled at me, her eyes holding an emotion I couldn't decipher. She stood up from the couch, and looked down at me.

"Thanks, Edward," she said, her voice full of hidden meaning. Before leaving my room, she leaned down swiftly and planted a soft kiss on my frozen cheek, her warm lips lingering for a moment before they were gone. All I could do as I watched her leave through my door was lift my hand and place it on my cheek, as if trying to hold the feeling of her kiss there.

Yes, in that moment it was quite possible for me to be in love. Yes, I did love Isabella Swan.

**{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}**

It seemed that though my world had distinctly changed in the few moments it took for her to kiss my cheek, her world was ever the same. The next day – Saturday – I found myself wishing that when she came to visit, the atmosphere around us would have shifted. But, she acted the same as always.

I began wondering if the kiss had only meant something big to me; she wasn't any different. Or, she didn't _seem_ any different. I found she would send me glances and smiles, but she never really approached me or spoke to me, besides when she said 'hello' to me upon entering.

The day passed as I watched her from a distance, feeling the need to protect her from even my family. I suppose that's how that was with mates, though; you were always feeling the need to protect, even when the only people who could possibly harm her were people you trusted with your life.

**{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}**

The opening of summer began with the family having to go watch as Jasper, Rosalie, and Emmett graduated from high school... _again._ This time, it wasn't just us though. We had all invited Bella to come along; she was over at our house so often now that it was like she was a part of the family, anyways.

After the celebration, we all returned back to our house, sitting around talking and laughing. It was then that Bella decided to give us another hint.

"La Push," was all she said. None of us could understand what she meant, but much like when she had given us the 'birds' hint, she wouldn't say anything else.

Carlisle and Jasper excused themselves early, burying themselves in research once again; I noticed that Bella looked very much amused as they did so, no doubt knowing exactly what they were heading off to do. I never thought I would get this frustrated – but then again, I never thought there would ever be someone who could block me from reading their mind.

I've never had to work without my talent before, and it was doubly as irritating as Bella was the one creature on Earth who had a mind I thought worth reading. Sure, my family member's minds were okay, and a great break from listening to the selfish thoughts of humans, but they were not the minds of the woman I love.

The sad thing about that is that I don't even know _what_ the woman I love is.

**{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}**

The middle of July gave us a spell from entertaining and visiting Bella; she was leaving for two weeks, heading to go and visit an 'old friend' of hers.

The day before she was set to head off, she and I were once again in my room; though this time we sat in silence. We could both feel the oncoming conversation, but it seemed that neither of us was quite willing to be the one to start it. I wanted to tell her of my love for her, and that I felt the need to keep her by my side instead of seeing her off on a trip to a destination I didn't know – she wouldn't tell any of us, just that she would be safe and that she was to return here in exactly 14 days. She told us that if she was gone even an hour longer, only then should we panic and worry about her. I didn't like the sound of that; she made it sound like there was a good chance she would come across trouble while visiting her 'old friend'.

I didn't know what she wanted to talk to me about, but I could tell by the way she would glance at me once in a while and then snap her head back down to watch herself curl her fingers together. I had never seen her so... fidgety before. The months since she had seemingly blown in with the wind had passed quickly, yet fully; neither my family, nor I, had ever had such a good time in our existence.

"Edward," her soft voice broke through the deep silence of the room – of the house. My family had gone out – to where, I'm not entirely sure – whispering the idea to leave us alone so that we may say our own goodbyes. They knew how I felt, and they were sure that Bella felt the same – Jasper especially; but, then again, his field was in emotions. I didn't quite believe him, even though he had a direct read on her feelings – she never showed anything for me besides friendship.

"I'm going to miss you," she whispered to me, her deep brown eyes lifting from her hands to peer into my own. I knew they would be dark – ever since she arrived, I had begun to put off hunting for as long as possible in hope of getting more time with her.

"I'm going to miss you, too," I told her, reaching over to lay my arm across her shoulders. She moved closer to me, so that she was leaning into my side and my arm was slung comfortably around her back. She sighed softly, turning her eyes towards my window and peering out into the sky, which was bathed in the raging colours of the setting sun.

"You know, in all the many years I have walked this earth, I never thought that I would ever find a reason to feel the way I do. Missing people when they're not right beside you... I haven't felt this way in so long, I'd almost forgotten what it felt like. I don't like the idea that I could ever be alone for so long that I forget what it is like to feel some of the simplest of emotions." She smiled wistfully, and though her eyes never strayed from the image beyond my window, her eyes were distant – seeing things I couldn't imagine, and couldn't see.

"Why? Why did you have to be alone, are there not others of... your kind?" I asked her, also with a hint of asking if she would let me in on the secret of her species.

"There were others, a long time ago; most of my race has died out, though I suppose there may be a few nomads. I haven't been looking for any for a long time; I didn't find a point. The few I came across were wild, acting without thought or reason. It made me wish for the old days, when my kind was viewed upon by others as 'The Bringers of Light', or 'The Soul Fliers'. My father was the leader of all of the clans, the main king as it were. He was the greatest leader our kind had ever had; everybody loved him," she told me, her smile brightening at the memories of times that had long since passed. "Well, I shouldn't say everybody loved him – there were a select few who didn't, and they weren't ashamed to shout their views from the highest trees and mountains," she said bitterly.

"I see," I said, though I really didn't.

"No, you don't."

"No, really; I understand, in a way. Many of our kind think that the way we live is idiotic, that we are fools to pass up the opportunity of feasting on human blood. They can't understand why it is we strive so hard to hold onto that last shred of humanity," I whispered, not trying to hold the pain in.

"You're not a monster, Edward." I scoffed. "You're not! You hold yourself back from killing; not many people would do that, if the need to kill was as strong as your bloodlust is. You're so good, Edward; it's a shame you can't see it." Her voice was desperate, pleading for me to believe what she was saying.

But I couldn't, not yet. And I could see it in her eyes that that was the way I felt on the subject.

"Someday, I will make you see things the way I do," she vowed solemnly, before suddenly breaking out in laughter.

I looked at her, both bemused and confused. What would cause her to turn a serious conversation into a light-hearted laugh?

"I suppose I just gave you enough clues to easily solve the 'big mystery' of what I am, now," she said once her laughter had died down. Thinking back on it, I suppose she had given some major hints, if what her species were once called were any hints, and little bit of the story behind it.

"Yes, I suppose you have." I told her, before we returned to silence.

Around midnight, she shifted to check what time it was on her watch, before turning and smiling sadly at me; I knew that meant that it was time for her to go. She would be leaving at eight in the morning – she had already said goodbye to the rest of my family; I was the last one she was parting with.

We didn't say anything in those last moments, but I know that I would never forget the way she said goodbye to me. It lasted only the for the briefest four seconds of my existence, but I feel as if the impression her lips left on mine would last forever.

She backed away afterwards, smiling brightly with a hint of sadness, before turning and leaving. By the time I moved to make my way after her, to get just a few more minutes with her before she was gone for two weeks, I heard her decrepit beast of a truck start down the driveway.

The next two weeks would be the longest of my life.

**{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}**

When my family returned home, and I discovered that they had been hunting all those hours, it was already after the time that Bella had said she would be leaving. I did not go after her to her house, even though I so badly wanted to talk with her – about the kiss, about her feelings, about her life, about everything.

I ran excitedly down the stairs, knowing that we would no doubt be closer to finding out what she was.

"Carlisle, Jasper; look up anything to do with 'The Bringers of Light', and 'The Soul Fliers'." I told them, looking forward to uncovering anything about her. Their eyes lit up, and they ran upstairs to the library, looking through any books they could find for anything about immortal creatures. They had realized that Bella must have given me more hints, hints that were far better than just 'birds' or 'La Push'.

A few hours later, Jasper called us upstairs. We entered to find him positioned above a book, smiling broadly about whatever he was reading, with Carlisle hovering over his shoulder, his smile matching Jasper's.

Jasper cleared his throat, before reading it out loud for us.

"_The legend of the Birds of Night is one wrapped in mystery, charm, and brilliance. Once the most powerful race in the world, they were looked upon with awe and hope; they were thought to be the future of our universe – they would bring us salvation if we ever needed it. The characteristics of a Bird of Night differed between each person, but the standards were immortality, grace, they were nocturnal, high spirits, and beauty beyond that of this world. The trait they were most known for, however, was the ability to change their shape into that of a bird – each person had a bird that was a resemblance to their very souls. They were also known as the Bringers of Light, or more commonly, the Soul Fliers._

"_The last known ruling family of the Birds of Night were the Swans, some seven hundred years ago. They were not true royals, but they were the ones of purest blood; Sir Charles Swan reigned with his wife, and mate, Lady Renee Swan; they birthed three heirs, twin boys Nathaniel and Jonathon Swan, and daughter Isabella Swan. They were free souls, and because of that they were looked to for guidance. The daughter, Isabella, was the best warrior in the land; whenever someone was in need of a guard, she was the one they looked to for aid. The legend says that she spent more time traveling with people who needed protection than she did protecting her family. It is possibly this fact which led to the death of her people._

"_There was a man known only as Michael, who did not agree with the way things were done; he led the attack against Sir Charles and Lady Renee; no one in the manor or in the surrounding villages lived. It is said that Isabella returned to her home many months later, only to find that everything had been burnt down, and there was nobody to welcome her. Some believe that Isabella is still out there, biding her time until she can seek her revenge on the man who took everything away from her._

"_The legends of the Birds of Night have since died out, but there are a select few people who believe that if the world shall perish in the future, the immortal Soul Fliers shall rise again and help us."_

**{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}**

**That legend was harder to write than I thought it would be. Anyways, now you – and more importantly, the Cullens – know what Bella is. If you have any questions on the **_**Birds of Night**_** – or as I prefer, the **_**Soul Fliers**_** – feel free to message me. I'll answer your questions to the best of my ability – which should be pretty good, because I completely created the characteristics and the legend myself, I suppose I should know everything about them, right? Right.**

**I hope you guys don't hate me for this, but I would also like to say that I am putting **_**Soul Fliers **_**on hiatus for awhile. This chapter is a little longer than my other ones, and hopefully it will tide you over until I can rid myself of this horrible demon named Writer's Block. Head on over to my profile and click on the link for my blog to **_**Soul Fliers, **_**and there you will be able to get to the blog for a story I am going to be writing that will hopefully help cure me of this block. **

**Anyways, review, tell me what you think, flame me, whatever. I don't care; just leave your thoughts in a review. This will probably be one of the longest chapters in this story – I just knew I needed to fit the legend of Bella's people in. Hope you weren't disappointed.**

**Remember me.**


	5. Diamond

**Soul Fliers**

**Chapter 5: Diamond**

"_**Better a**____**diamond**____**with a flaw than a pebble without.**__**" – Confucius**_

**{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}**

Now that we knew what she was – or, at least we had a pretty good idea – time seemed to move half as fast as it used to. Bella was gone; there was no way of getting her to confirm what we had found. She wouldn't be back for two weeks.

We spent the time reading up on what we had learned, trying to get as much out of it as possible. Everything we found was really just a repeat of the original legend – not much was new. It seemed that if we wanted to learn anything else about her species – the 'Birds of Night', the 'Soul Fliers' – we were going to have to ask the very one that the legend was written about. I wondered if she expected us to have figured it out so soon after she had left us hints. Though, I could tell that she hadn't really intended to give me those hints; she had just wanted to talk.

As she had said, we didn't receive a single phone call during the time she was gone; I couldn't help but be worried about her – since she had arrived so suddenly in Forks, we hadn't gone a day without talking to each other. Two weeks was too much time for me to spend away from her, it seems. My frozen heart seemed like it gave a squeeze every time I thought of how long it would be until I could see her again.

**{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}**

When the day of her return had finally arrived, the excitement in the room was so thick that I could practically taste it. Every one of us were doing things to merely pass the time, hoping that she would hurry up and get here – but also worried about what we would have to do if she didn't show up.

Our worried were for nothing, though, as we all tensed up and sighed in relief as we listened to the tell-tale rumbling of her monstrous truck turning onto the road. In the matter of a second, we were all in the living room, facing the door way. It felt like pure agony for me as I listened to her rummage around in her truck, open the door and close it, and then walk towards the stairs. It was as if she knew of our knowledge, and was trying to put it off without her avoidance being obvious.

_Hurry up and get inside already!_ Emmett yelled in his mind. He was anxious to see whether we had found the right legend, and to see just how much of said legend was true. In truth, we all were; though I just desperately wanted to see her again, as well. The bonus of discovering what she was is just that: a bonus.

She didn't bother knocking, perhaps knowing that we were waiting for her. She hesitated for a fraction of a second before quickly turning the door knob and letting it swing open, like ripping off a band-aid. She closed it behind her and then stood there, staring at us with her beautiful, chocolate orbs. They held worry, hope, and happiness.

She was the first one to break the silence. "Hello."

That one word set us all in motion after that. Esme and Carlisle quickly and politely greeted her, the former giving her a maternal hug and the latter welcoming her back with a firm handshake. Emmett practically squeezed the life out of her as they both laughed heartily, and Alice was the same – though she didn't twirl her around in the air. Rosalie and Jasper both remained a firm distance, smiling warmly and nodding towards her instead. Coming from them, the welcome was great.

She turned to me, before taking a step towards me and holding out her arms slightly. Not wanting her to have to wait for something we both wanted, I ran towards her and gathered her into my arms, sighing as her warmth began to seep through my clothes, seeming to be piercing through my skin directly to my long-dead heart.

"I missed you," her muffled voice told me as she pressed her face further into my chest. I could distinctly hear her taking deep breath after deep breath; taking in my scent.

"I missed you, too," I told her. "So much." She wouldn't have been able to understand just how much I had ached during her absence. Without noticing, her presence had wormed its way past my defences and clenched like a vise around my heartstrings. I needed her.

I loved her.

"I'm glad," she told me as she lifted her eyes to meet mine. They were just as deep and mesmerizing as they were weeks before, but it was as if I had gone years without them. I hoped desperately that she wasn't planning on taking another trip anytime soon. I wasn't sure if I would be able to handle that.

It seems my family thought that they had given us enough time for a proper greeting. Alice bounded forward and dragged Bella out of our embrace and into the living room, the rest of us following after carefully.

"So? How did it go? Was everything alright with your friend? Did you have a good time?" Alice bombarded her with questions, as we had expected her to do. Alice will be Alice.

Bella's laugh rang throughout the room, seeming to vibrate and shimmer in the air. "Slow down, Ali; not everyone can understand when you talk at a hundred miles per hour." She smiled at my sister, letting her know unnecessarily that she was just teasing her. "It went well, I suppose; as well as it could go. My friend was fine, as he always is. And... I suppose, when you put it all together, I had quite a pleasant time."

She sounded unsure, as if she didn't quite know if she had a good time or not. It was quite possible, though, that while she enjoyed herself, it hadn't gone as she'd hoped it would. That would cause her unsure tone to make sense. There was another option, though; she could be trying to be cautious about what she reveals to us.

Emmett couldn't keep it to himself, it seems. "So, you're a soul flier?"

Bella froze, turning to stare at my idiot of a brother. Her body relaxed eventually, though, as she saw the grin on his face. "I thought you guys would have figured it out with those clues I left. I was getting kind of tired of you guys asking questions all the time, figured I'd help push you along a little more." She looked each of us in the eye, lingering on me. "I'm glad you have."

"Do you mind if we learn a little bit more about... your kind, Bella?" Carlisle asked; I think all of us had been waiting for it. He was always curious about something.

"It's not on my list of top ten things to do, but sure; why not?" Bella asked, moving into the living room. We all followed after a moment of hesitation, wondering if it was really something we wanted to learn about. But, of course, it was; Bella was like family.

And I loved her; I had the feeling that she was my mate, the one I'd been waiting for all these years.

She was sitting in the only single chair in the room; as it was a common space for talks like these, all the seats in the room were facing each other in a sort of circle. Esme, Carlisle, Alice and Jasper took the two loveseats, leaving me to sit with Rosalie and Emmett on the couch. This was usually how things went, except I was usually sitting in the chair that Bella was currently taking up. Nobody really liked to be sitting near Emmett and Rosalie, just in case one of them got bored and turned to the other to cure said boredom. Once they got started, it was rare that they made it to their bedroom – the house was pretty much off-limits during that time period.

"What do you want to know?"

I shook myself out of my thoughts, turning towards Bella. I could already hear the many questions Carlisle had in his mind sifting as her looked for the most important ones. "Well, we read the legend, and I think we all understood it pretty well. But, I was wondering if it was true that there aren't any more of you left."

Bella took a deep breath, letting it out as a sigh. "It's not necessarily true; there were different clans. My clan was the Royal Clan. Of course, we held the ones with the purest blood, my family having the purest of the pure. There was the Water Clan, who spent most of their time near oceans, rivers, lakes. The Air Clan were ones who spent about 90 percent of their time in their alternate forms, birds. There were a few others, but only one sticks out in my mind. The Fire Clan." She closed her eyes, as if she were remembering another time, a time much different than this one. "Unlike the others, the Fire Clan wasn't distinguishable by their name. They didn't spend their time in hot places or near fire at all. It was simply the name we had for those with what was called 'dirty blood'. My clan held the pure-bloods, and they held the ones without. Michael was the leader.

"He hated my father with a passion; didn't like how we were treated better than him just because of our blood status. And really, no matter how much we tried to even the lines, it was true; the people of the Fire Clan _were _treated unfairly – in some cases, it could be known as abuse. There were cases of people for the Royal Clan heading out and murdering entire families from the Fire Clan. Tying them up and burning them, mocking the name of their clan. My father tried to stop it, but no one would listen to him – even the fact that he was 'King' didn't help." A short laugh left her mouth, but there was no humour in it. "And, of course, Michael needed to blame someone. Who better than the King?

"So, he waited until I was gone. There was some story about little kids being kidnapped from the Water Clan; I went to check it out. In the ten and a half months I was gone, Michael made his move; slaughtered my entire family, everyone I had ever known. Two others clans, the Meadow Clan and the Air Clan, had been staying near ours; they didn't survive Michael's attack, either. I came back to bodies everywhere, and a personal message from Michael. '_The blood doesn't look so pure now, does it?'_

"And it didn't; not when it was splattered around everywhere, the mutilated bodies of my family surrounding me. I could barely even recognize my mother, her face was so badly cut up. While I assume all the others had gotten an easy death, he sure took it out on my family. There was hardly anything left of them. Most of the bodies had already begun to decay, of course, and it took me about a week to gather them all together. Must of been at least 2,500 people, all murdered because people thought they were better than others." She laughed again, shaking her head. Esme looked horrified as did my sisters. Emmett and Carlisle looked a little better, but not much. Jasper was worse off, feeling her emotions.

And me? Well, I wanted to go back in time and murder this 'Michael', torture him like he tortured Bella's family, almost as much as I wanted to sit beside her and comfort her, let her know that I was here for her. Because I was.

"Know what really grinds my gear, though? That part of the legend that says that the fact that I spent so much time away from home could have been the reason for their death. I mean, Michael waited until I was gone, didn't he? I was the best protection the Clan had. Maybe, if I'd been there, I could have stopped it. And then I wouldn't have had to burn all those bodies; Nathaniel and Jonathon would still be here with me, as would my parents. Maybe..."

As the first of many tears left her eyes, I gave into my desire. In less than a second I was sitting in the chair with her on my lap, holding her against my chest and whispering into her ear. "Shh, Bella; everything's okay. It wasn't your fault. Shh, don't cry."

I met Carlisle's eyes over her head, and he silently agreed – the other questions could wait until Bella was ready.

**Well, here it is; chapter five. I hope you like it – I know you've been waiting long enough for it. **

**This doesn't mean that this story is off hiatus, though; I haven't quite gotten my rhythm back for it, and I need to fully lay out a plan for the plot before I move on. The next story of mine that I'm going to update will be **_**A Lion Sleeps**_**, and I'll be trying to get another chapter for this one out before the week is over. It may be a little difficult, though – I'm not making any promises.**

**Review, and remember me.**


	6. Pearl

**Soul Fliers**

**Chapter Six: Pearl**

"_**Errors, like straws, upon the surface flow; he who would search for**__**pearls **__**must dive below." – John Dryden**_

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I didn't let go of Bella that night; soon after she had calmed down, she had asked me to bring me upstairs, to my room. I had done as she asked – I couldn't deny her anything at that point, not when it was so obvious that I was in love with her. She was perfect, after all; who wouldn't love her?

Her story of Michael and her family rang through my mind for the next four hours as she slept – she had fallen asleep almost instantly when I had lay her across my lap on the couch. Her fingers curled into my shirt, and I could feel her heat thrumming through every portion of my body. I couldn't help myself from gently tangling my fingers into her mahogany hair; brushing out any tangles I came across, and after a while merely held them there against her skull, feeling her heartbeat slow as she fell deeper and deeper into sleep.

Once she began to stir, though, it banished all thoughts of her nightmarish past from my mind. I found myself wondering… if she had an alternate form – a bird of some kind – what did it look like? I wanted to know everything about her. Was she an eagle, fierce and protective? Or was she a swan, her namesake? If she were the former, it would make sense – the legend had said she was a fighter – and if she were the latter, it would also make sense; she was just as elegant as beautiful as the long-necked avian.

She stretched her arms over her head with her fists curled in like a baby's fists, yawning with her mouth wide open. When her eyes open, she blinked them owlishly at me, and the thoughts crossed my mind – _could she be an owl_? I dismissed it, though, as she sat up, placing her hand against my chest for leverage. At that point, all I could think was, _she's touching me. Her hand is touching me, and it's awesome_.

In a second, it seemed, I had reverted back to the hormonal teenage boy I once was. God, what this woman did to me.

"G'morning," she said as another yawn escaped.

I smiled. "Good morning, Little Bell," I tried out a new nickname for her.

She smiled back at me, and – as she so often did – surprised me once again by leaning into me and hugging her arms tightly around my neck. Immediately an internal war began in my mind; I'll just call one side 'the angel' and the other side 'the devil'.

_Hug her back, you idiot_, the angel said. _She might think you don't like it._

_Her breasts are against your chest_. The devil was occupied with her assets than her feelings. Though, I could definitely feel what he was telling me…

_If you don't get your arms around her soon, you might hurt her feelings_. The angel was speaking in a singsong voice, knowing that I couldn't live with myself if I hurt her even a little bit.

_Yea, and when you hug her, you can press her even harder against you… _the devil trailed off suggestively. He had a point.

Just when I felt her beginning to pull away, I wrapped my arms tight around her waist and crushed her to me gently, burying my nose in her hair and taking deep drags of her unique scent. Pine trees were quickly becoming my favourite thing, as was strawberries… Hmm; you don't normally come across a vampire who enjoys the scent of human food, but on Bella – I think she could be covered in the most disgusting substances known to man and yet I would still think her scent was delectable.

She held onto me, and I onto her, for a long time. And when she finally began to pull back, I let go. Cue another surprising moment in the life of Edward Cullen.

She didn't pull back all the way, instead merely turning to the side and catching my lips with hers. Sparks shot through my body as I gasped, allowing her to push her tongue into my mouth and tangle it with mine. In my shock, I felt her run it along my sharp teeth, and waited for the taste of blood.

It didn't come. Somehow, my teeth hadn't cut through her flesh.

_Kiss her back, you idiot! _Both the devil and the angel screamed at me. I would have flinched at their volume, but I was too busy following their command. I pressed her closer to me, and tried to drink her in like the vampire I was. I knew I couldn't harm her – at least, her little stunt with my teeth had proved that to me. I allowed her to dominate the kiss, though, loving the feel of her leaning over me. I could vaguely hear the thoughts of my family as they tried to figure out what was going on, and the overjoyed squealing as a vision passed through my sister's head.

I almost stopped kissing Bella when the vision made its way into my thoughts; keyword, _almost_. This vision of Bella in a beautiful white gown, being led down the aisle by Carlisle would have to wait – though it wouldn't wait long, first chance I got I would bask in the glory of it – as the taste and heat of Bella's kiss was too much at the moment. Thinking about the two things at once would cause me to be the first vampire to suffer from sensory overload.

As if sensing that my thoughts were elsewhere, Bella withdrew her tongue from my mouth, causing me to whine a little, wanting it back. She giggled into my open mouth, and leaned back. I tried to follow after her, to keep our lips attached but she giggled again and moved her hands up to my face, pulling my head back with strength I didn't know she had. "Oh, no," she laughed when I tried to break free of her hands and claim her mouth as mine again. "We have things to talk about, and kissing every two seconds isn't going to help us achieve that, now is it?" Her question was rhetorical, but I couldn't help answering.

"I think it would help us a lot, actually," I smirked suggestively, smiling when she broke out in her ringing laughter. I could hear deep guffaws coming from my brothers, and the gentle chuckles of my sisters. My parents, at least, had the sense to keep quiet.

"But, then you'll never know why it is I kissed you." She looked up at me through her warm, brown eyes, and I was once again reminded of a human food I now adored – chocolate. Milk chocolate; the kind that was almost the exact shade of her eyes, missing the small flecks of green and gold, of course.

I breathed deeply, the need to kiss her waning as a new need broke through; she was right. Now that she'd brought it to my attention, I desperately wanted to know what feelings or thoughts had travelled through her body and mind to evoke her to kiss me. "Why?"

She knew what I was asking – it was obvious in the teasing, gentle way she smiled at me. "There are many reasons why I would kiss you, Edward Cullen," she told me, her smile widening. She leaned forward, until her face was just in front of mine. I shuddered as her breath washed over my face. "For one, you're completely gorgeous," she told me, kissing my forehead. "You're _very _intelligent," kissed my left cheek. "You accepted what I am," my right cheek. My breathing was coming faster now, though it was unnecessary. "You're loyal to your friends and family," she kissed my nose. I closed my eyes in pleasure. "And, the most important," I could feel her lips just a hair's width away from my own lips. "I love you more than my own life," she breathed before crashing her lips onto mine.

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**Okay, here you go – and, it comes with good news! **_**Soul Fliers**_** is officially off hiatus. I apologize for the short chapter, but until I really get the rhythm for this story back, they will be somewhere between 1,200 and 2,000 words. When I manage to get back into stride, though, I'll return to my normal 2,000+ words. **

**Now, two important things. First and foremost, I have posted an updating schedule as well as a list of upcoming stories on my profile. If you'd like to see which days of the week (not including the weekend, of course) I will be posting updates for your favourite stories of mine, go check it out. Also, read up on some of the stories I have in the works for when after I finished some of the ones I am already working on.**

**And, the second thing. A good friend of mine, **_**LeanyJ**_**, is new to FanFiction and has put up a story. Now, I assume that most of you are more into **_**Twilight**_** fics and the like, but I'd appreciate it if you were to go and check out her story, **_**The Daunted, the Puzzled and the Wayward. **_**It's a **_**Pokemon**_** fic, so… if that's not you're cup of tea, that's fine. But, I'm not really the biggest **_**Pokemon**_** fan and I still enjoy reading her story. At least go check it out.**

**Review, please, and remember me.**


	7. Onyx

**Soul Fliers**

**Chapter Seven: Onyx**

"_**Yes, the work comes out more beautiful from a material that resists the process, verse, marble,**__**onyx**__**, or enamel.**__**" – Theodore Gautier**_

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"So… what does this mean, exactly?" I asked Bella later, after our breathing had calmed down and we were merely sitting there – though the devil was constantly wondering when I was going to man up and kiss her without her initiating it. The angel was thinking more about my feelings, as angels often do.

"What do you mean?" She asked as she curled into my chest more. I tightened my arms around her, aiding her in her quest to be as close to me as possible by practically crushing her to my chest. She hummed in content, leaning her head against my chest and closing her eyes. The warmth was amazing.

I took one of my hands and began to drag it through her hair, rubbing her scalp slightly as I did so. She hummed again, leaning her head slightly into my hand, and I knew that she was enjoying it. "I just mean… you say you love me, and I have to say that I feel the same way about you. But… my kind and your kind are very different, Bella – in my world, you are my mate, but-"

She leaned away from me, smiling up at me. "In my world you're called my Completion. It's a three step process, really. Purification is like the cleansing of the soul – I did that when I chose my eternal task, which is defending my family. Fulfillment is when you set out to do that task; if you continue doing that task for more than a decade, than you are properly fulfilled. And Completion is – well, when your soul is 'completed', in a way. Let's pretend it's like a recipe, and you were my missing ingredient, but now that I have you…"

"…the recipe is complete?" I smiled at her analogy. "That sounds nice, but also cliché, in a way. I complete you, Bella?" I raised an eyebrow.

She threw her head back in laughter, her entire body shaking. I imagined the angel slapping the devil in the back of the head as I observed her assets, which were also shaking. I quickly diverted my gaze back to her face – just in time for her eyes to open as her laughter calmed. I smirked at her when she focused on my face.

She leaned forward, cupping my face in her hands. "Yes, you definitely complete me, young vampire."

I wrinkled my nose. "I'm not _that_ young," I complained. "Just because I'm dating an older woman…"

She glared at me. "I may be older, but that just means more experience, my dear."

I instantly went sombre. "How much experience are we talking about here?" I asked thinking about tracking down any man she'd even been with and killing them for even trying to be with what was mine. The devil was very much a fan of these plans.

She looked at my face closely, and then began laughing much like she had earlier. It was an airy, ringing laugh that echoed around my room like my music does, though it was much more beautiful than any piece ever composed. Her voice broke me out of my thoughts. "Are you jealous, Edward?"

I narrowed my eyes. "So what if I am?"

"Oh, nothing," she shrugged, looking away, biting her lip to hide her smile.

"No, seriously – what?"

"Nothing."

"Bella…"

"Fine!" She sighed, though she was still smiling so I knew she wasn't upset with me at all. "I just think it's cute that you're jealous about people you've never met."

My eyes narrowed even more. "So there _were_ others," I muttered.

Her smile dimmed. "I've only kissed two people in my entire… existence, and one of them is right in front of me." Her voice was like a promise, letting me know that she was telling the truth. But, still…

"Who?"

"Just someone I knew – it was when we were quite young, and he fancied himself in love with me. We were in a place when we were learning about the three step process, but we still didn't know exactly what they meant." She chuckled. "I guess, you could say, we were 'experimenting'. He was my best friend, and I was his, so why not share your first kiss with the person you trust most in the world?" He voice was soft and wistful.

I swallowed. "What happened to him?"

"He died… just like everyone else. I can still remember his body when I found him; it was in pieces, but it was still undeniably him."

I held her close to me again, not liking the way her eyes turned sad when they remembered the moments of her past. It was as if a shadow crossed over her face when her thoughts returned to the times in her life that weren't exactly pleasant. I decided to tell her so. "Hey, now; I don't like it when you think of that – just think of now, Bella, not then."

I wasn't quite sure if my convoluted sentence made sense, but it must have, because suddenly I had a crying girl in my arms. She wasn't sobbing or anything, she was just… crying. Tear by tear, I had to watch as they rolled down her cheeks. I couldn't take very many of them before I was desperately trying to wash them away, holding my thumbs under eyes as if I could clot the flow like you could with blood. They just rolled over my thumbs and continued on their way as if there had been nothing trying to stop them in the first place.

"Don't cry, pretty bird," I whispered, hoping that she would stop. "I can't stand it when you cry."

Her breathing seemed to get worse, and soon it was almost like she was hyperventilating. One thing I was glad for, though, is that my words had managed to make her stop crying – now it was more like dry sobbing.

She continued crying, and I was left sitting there, wondering how I could possibly make this stop.

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**I'm so sorry for this crappy chapter, and for how short it is. I really had no idea whatsoever to write – I'm really still trying to push my way through the block. I'm thinking that I'm going to have to really plan out the next chapter before I begin writing it.**

**Is there anything you would like to see? If so, send me a message.**

**Review, and remember me.**


	8. Jade

**Soul Fliers**

**Chapter Eight: Jade**

"_**Fill your house with gold and jade, and it can no longer be guarded." – Anonymous**_

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"I already made plans to go and talk to them, Edward; they're much like me, in a way." Her voice was soft and gentle as her hand rubbed soothingly up my arm, trying to convince my tense muscles to relax.

"I know you made plans, but I don't like the idea of you crossing the line. I told you that my family and I are forbidden to enter La Push."

"Yes, you did tell me," she admitted. "But I'm not technically a part of your family, and therefore _I_ am allowed in La Push." I began to protest, but she cut me off.

"You _are_ a part of the family," I told her quietly, trying to get her to stay with me and not head off to a place where I couldn't protect her from harm. "Alice can't see the wolves, and if you're around them…"

"I'll be fine."

"But-"

"Edward," she said firmly. "I'll be fine." She smiled, trying to calm me down even more. "I'm a soldier, after all – I'm sure I can handle a couple of young werewolves." I didn't have time to protest as she manoeuvred her way out of my arms and was starting her truck in a matter of seconds. "I'll be back in a couple of hours!" She yelled over the deafening noise of her rust bucket.

I watched her as she drove off, worry causing my body to freeze as my mind went through all of the things that could possibly happen to her while she was out of my sight and in a place where I couldn't go. I unfroze as an uncontrollable shudder ran through me at some of the mental images, and was _this close_ to running after her and begging her not to go when Alice skipped lightly over to me, rolling her eyes at some of the visions she had seen.

"I love you, Edward; you're a great brother. But that doesn't mean that I'm afraid to say that watching you beg a woman not to leave isn't pathetic." Her voice was teasing, though, and so I knew she was kidding. _She'll be fine, brother._

"You don't know that," I said hoarsely. "You can't see the wolves."

She pursed her lips. "That's true," she shrugged, seemingly unbothered with it. "However, I _can_ see her driving back up the driveway n 2 hours and 19 minutes, so… I believe it's safe to assume that she'll be okay."

I dove into her mind, watching with relief the vision she was talking about. "Thanks, Alice," I said, before I groaned. "2 hours?" I asked, hoping she was wrong on the time scheme.

But, Alice is never wrong.

She grinned wickedly. "Does this mean that you won't tease any of us anymore for complaining about not being with our mates?" She grabbed my hand, pulling me after her back into the house, leading me into the living room. I could see from her thoughts that she wanted to watch a movie.

I groaned again, knowing now that it would be two hours before Bella returned. "I suppose so," I gave in, admitting that I now knew the troubles of being without my other half, as I had often made fun of them for in the past.

"Great," she said, pushing me down onto the couch and practically dancing over to our shelf of movies, picking out a DVD.

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Alice wasn't the most original at picking out movies; she often liked to watch us moan and groan over stupid stunts and ideas from the plotline. Considering this, I should have known that she would pick something as stupid and immature as _Interview with a Vampire_. However, I didn't complain (much) as I knew that the movie was just over 2 hours long, and would hopefully keep my interest for the length of time before Bella returned.

I was correct in this judgement, the ending credits beginning just as I heard the ever familiar rumble of an ancient engine turning onto our driveway. I jumped out of my chair quickly, putting the DVD away as Alice – once again – rolled her eyes at me, skipping upstairs to join Jasper in his study, leaving me with one thought. _We're letting you get as much time with her now as you can, but rest assured that we will eventually expect you to share._

I grimaced at the thought of sharing my mate, but knew she was right; I couldn't hog Bella all to myself no matter how amazing the thought was. To have her alone for the rest of eternity was almost too much to even conceive.

My family would never allow it, anyways.

I was standing out on the front porch before she even had the chance to put the vehicle in park. She smiled at me through the windshield, opening the door and leaping lightly to the ground. Her smile was infectious and I returned it as I watched her, waiting as patiently as I could for her to reach me. As she was walking towards me I took in her outfit – she must have changed at some point while she was gone. She was wearing bright colours, as per usual – yellows and greens paired up to help make her look even more beautiful than she was, unbelievably. My smile died down a little until I was certain I was merely staring at her in awe, wondering desperately how this wonderful creature could feel the way she did about me.

I didn't have long to think these self-depreciating thoughts, though, as she soon had her tiny arms linked around my waste as she leaned against me, letting her warmth soak over my cold skin. I wrapped my arms around her shoulders, leaning down to rest my face against her hair, breathing in her invigorating scent. I was sure I could find a way to survive of her scent and never need blood again, if I was given some time to ponder it.

_That time would be much better spent 'getting to know her', wouldn't it? _The devil asked me; I could just imagine him waggling his eyebrows up and down as he made an innuendo out of the words 'getting to know her'.

_You could benefit from learning more about her_, the angel agreed, completely naïve to the devil's immature meaning. The devil rolled his eyes, and the angel looked insulted. _What, I'm agreeing with you!_

_Not exactly_, the devil answered. _I meant the words in a completely different context than you did._

I blocked out their voices, getting annoyed with them; now wasn't the time for a lesson on innuendos. Not when I had a piece of perfection in my arms.

"Oh!" She exclaimed, pulling back hurriedly. "I almost forgot to text Jake." She searched her pockets, coming out victorious as she pulled her cellphone out of her back left pocket. I narrowed my eyes slightly, watching as she read something, giggling slightly before replying.

"Who's 'Jake'?" I asked with a hint of suspicion in my tone. I had tried to hide it but I guess it just really wanted to show itself.

"Hmm?" She asked as she quickly typed something into her phone, not even pausing to look at me.

"I said, who is 'Jake'?" I repeated, bending down so that I could see her eyes. She sent whatever she was writing, placing her phone back into her pocket before looking up at me.

"I suppose you could say he's kind of like the beta of the pack; anyways, him and Embry wanted me to ensure that I returned safely." She rolled her eyes. "I swear that, even though I've only known them for a couple hours, they can be more protective than you are." She bounced on her toes for a couple of seconds, her face lighting up as something passed through her mind. "You'll never guess what happened when I was there." She said excitedly, and I couldn't help but relax – almost forgetting completely about 'Jake' – and smile at how adorable she looked.

"What happened, pretty bird?" I asked as I turned to lead her into the house.

Her eyes sparkled happily at her nickname, and I silently vowed to call her that as often as possible.

She practically squealed as she let out her words. "They inducted me as an honorary member of the pack!" Her words were rushed, and I knew she was expecting more excitement from me than I could give her.

Like the good boyfriend/vampiric mate, though, I faked it as best as I could. "That's great, Bella."

She didn't believe me. "Aren't you happy for me?" She pouted, stepping back from me slightly so that I could get the whole picture. I felt guilty at once as I saw the genuine sadness in her eyes, the sparkle having already faded as she analyzed the tone of my 'excited' voice.

"Of course I am, it's just…" I took a deep breath, forcing myself to say it. "I don't like the idea of you getting any closer to them. It's one thing for you to go an meet them, but-"

She cut me off by placing a finger against my lips. "I know what you're going to say, you don't need to finish that sentence." She removed her hand, standing up on her toes so that she could cradle my face in her hands, ensuring that I was looking at her. It's not like I could take my eyes off of her, anyway. "Edward, I love you, I truly do; you and your family have been great to me, accepting me before you even knew what I was."

I smiled at her, and she returned it. She took another breath.

"But the wolves… they can understand me a bit more than you can. When I shift, Edward, I'm not the same. I become someone – something – else that has completely different needs and focuses. My mind is still there, yes, but I'm not the same Bella. Do you understand?" I nodded. "Good. For the wolves… it's the same thing. Their senses increase, and suddenly the need to defend and protect is higher than it already is. They change, just like I do – just like my family used to. Do you understand why I might feel a kinship towards them?"

Grudgingly, I nodded, watching as that spark returned to her eyes. "That doesn't mean that I'm not going to worry about you, though," I whispered, smiling slightly as she did.

"I know." She said back to me, jumping up slightly to nuzzle her nose against mine. She hummed in content afterwards, breathing in my scent just as I had down earlier. Her hands slid backwards off of my cheeks, looping around my neck, her fingers tangling into my hair. I grinned at her, scooping her up in my arms quickly before darting upstairs, eager for some alone time.

_Finally_, both the devil and the angel broke through my mental barrier.

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Now, I know what you're probably thinking, but as a matter of fact I _do_ have some amount of control over my hormones (the hormones that, prior to Bella, I had been convinced I didn't have). We didn't do anything apart from kiss and cuddle. She recounted her day excitedly to me, skipping over details including the name _Jake_ as she quickly realized that – though I had unwillingly given my consent for her to be around the wolves – I still wasn't quite comfortable with the idea that he had given her his phone number and asked for his in return.

She had rolled her eyes, reminding me of my dear sister in that moment, shrugging it off before quickly moving on to a new topic.

Just before the sun set, she received another text message. From the way she glanced at me before answering it, I knew it was Jake. I clenched my teeth, trying to avoid taking the phone from her. As she replied to him, she glanced up at me, smirking as she took in my expression.

I'm almost positive that, as she returned her gaze to the lit up screen, she muttered the word 'boys'.

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**Here you go, on time and over 2,000 words – I'm happy to say that my muse for this story seems to have finally completely returned! Oh, and now the wolves are in it – who's excited?**

**Just a reminder to those who are new followers of mine, the link to my blog (which has many facts for upcoming stories, and sometimes even teasers for the next chapters) can be found on my profile. Or, if it makes it easier, here: www(dot)xlarac(dot)blogspot(dot)com**

**Review, and remember me.**


	9. Ruby

**Soul Fliers**

**Chapter Nine: Ruby**

'_**Jesus Christ came into my prison cell last night, and every stone flashed like a ruby.' – Samuel Rutherford**_

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"You're cute."

"Cute? Just cute? Not even adorable – I'm just cute?"

"Shut up; you can be both adorable _and_ cute, if you want."

"Well, thank you; but I already knew that."

"Wow. Who knew you were so vain."

"Very funny. Besides, I may be cute slash adorable, but you're beautiful."

"Once again, I say shut up. It's not nice to lie."

"Now it's my turn to say shut up; I don't want to ever hear you refer to yourself as anything but beautiful. I wouldn't lie about something like that."

"Well, you already _are_ lying about it; I know I'm nothing spectacular to look at, Edward; you don't need to say that I am to placate me."

"…"

"Edward? What are you doing?"

"Oh, sorry; I got distracted by this piece of perfection in front of me."

"You're silly."

"Hmm. Cute, adorable, _and_ silly? I think you're flattering me, pretty bird."

"…"

"Bella? Hello, earth to Bella…"

"Hmm?"

"Did you even hear what I said?"

"No, sorry; Jacob sent me another text."

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It had been happening all week. It seemed like whenever I managed to find any alone time with Bella, the dog would send her a message. And she actually _answered_ him, right in the middle of whatever we were doing… I was starting to wonder if maybe her trip to La Push, and being inducted as an honorary member of the wolf pack, had caused her feelings for me to change. Of course, whenever I brought the subject up with Bella, she denied it and told me that I was 'behaving like a typical teenage boy'.

"Seriously, Edward," she had said, exasperated, on one such occasion. "You have nothing to be worried about. I'm completely and totally in love with you; Jacob is just a friend."

She had even tried to work on my sympathies.

"Edward, sweetie," she had said, making her voice as pleading and innocent as possible. Her eyes were wide, and I was positive that there were tears building up in the rims. "I've been alone for so long, and meeting your family was amazing; it felt really good to be loved again, to have friends and family. The wolves are more friends of mine, and it makes me happy to have so many people who care for me. Don't you want me to be as happy as I can?"

I had calmed her down, shushing her and holding her in my arms, telling her that _of course_ I wanted her to be happy; it was all I wanted. In my mind, though, my protective vampire instincts were snarling that I wanted her to be happy with me, and as far away from the wolves as possible.

She really knew how to play on my feelings.

My family wasn't allowing us to hide out in my room anymore (Bella had been spending so much time with us that it was as if she lived with us instead of having her own house on the other side of town); they all wanted their own, personal 'Bella Time', as they had taken to calling it. Even Carlisle was excited about the time he got to spend with her; she had seen much more of the world than he had, and had been around longer, and so they often spent hours shut away in his office, talking about anything and everything from medicine and human behaviour to fashion and social changes. Bella seemed to know a little bit of everything, and was able to hold a conversation with any of us, no matter what the subject matter. Jasper loved her company, as well; she had seen so many wars, after all, and could spit off just as many random facts about guns as he could. They spent an entire week pouring over his history books, and eventually came up with idea that – sometime in the future – they should sit down and write their own, as they both agreed that all the books portrayed the Confederates as the bad guys in the Civil War.

Not surprisingly, taking in the quality of the clothes she was always wearing, she was able to talk non-stop for days with my dearest sister about fashion. Alice was just as interested as Carlisle about the changes in society, more particularly about what kinds of clothes were considered 'hip' at what times. Rosalie would sometimes listen in on these conversations, but mostly she and Bella would talk about the newest in motor vehicles, and Bella would reminisce about when the first cars started coming out. Emmett was more into talking about the fights Bella had been in, and would often question her about her warrior past. He was as excited as a child who has just been told that all the candy in the world was his whenever she humoured him and retold stories about the different 'jobs' she'd had in her calling, back when her race had been alive. Esme was not as pushy about spending time with her, but she enjoyed spending time with her newest daughter outside gardening; Bella seemed to love the time spent so close to the woods that surrounded our house.

And when the days ended, and she grew tired, I would take her away from whoever she was talking to and carry her up to my – our – room, lying down with her as she curled her tiny, warm body into my arms. This was quickly becoming the only time I had with her, and I was learning to enjoy it with all that I had. She always smelled amazing, of course, and when we were quiet I would just inhale her scent over and over. Sometimes we would talk, learning more and more about each other as we did. She became more beautiful, and more perfect to me as each word left her mouth. At the end of the day, we were at peace.

And then the first text message would arrive.

At first, I was indifferent about it; even though I hated the wolves, I knew how it felt to be so completely enamoured by the perfect creature that was Bella… and so I let it slide. However, I didn't like the fact that, no matter what we were doing, she always felt the need to reply.

Kissing? Yes, Jacob needs a reply.

Cuddling? Of course, can't let him go without a response.

Talking after hours of being apart? Hold on one moment, Edward; Jacob sent a message.

It was getting on my last nerve, and as a vampire I had thought myself to be quite patient.

After about two weeks of this, I decided that I needed to tell her exactly how I felt about what was going on, and she wasn't going to get away with pleading or brushing it off, not this time. She was talking to Jasper before, and I knew my brother would sense my emotions and know that I wasn't trying to be selfish as I scooped her up, causing her to protest that she wasn't tired yet. He nodded at me, knowing that for whatever reason I had that I needed to talk to her. He wasn't about to stop me, even though there was a part of his thoughts that was bemoaning the loss of his conversation partner. He quickly shut that voice up, though; telling himself that it wasn't as if they couldn't continue their talk later.

I walked swiftly upstairs, Bella having already stopped protesting and now settling into my embrace, wrapping her arms around my neck with a questioning look in her eyes. I'll admit that I may have set her down on my couch rather roughly, as she let out a slight 'umph' as I did, and a spike of guilt hit me. I had been intending to keep some distance between us so that I could concentrate better, but I couldn't stop myself from gathering her back into my arms and sitting her across my lap, looking her over to ensure that I hadn't been rough enough to actually harm her. She was fine, of course; I was always forgetting that she was immortal, looking as human as she did.

"Well," she sighed, confused. "Not that I'm exactly complaining – how can I complain when I'm spending time with you? – but why exactly did you just grab me and bring me up here?" Her face was stern, though her eyes were calm and curious. I think she could tell that I wanted to say something to her, and that it would be a serious conversation.

Swallowed the excess venom that pooled in my throat as I set my sight on her perfect features, fighting the instinct to kiss her senseless. Our intimacy had grown, and often I found myself having to physically hold myself back from fully claiming her as my mate, knowing that it wasn't the time for it; I didn't know half of the things I wanted to know about her, which was, of course, everything. I shook my head away from those thoughts, knowing I could get back to them later.

"Bella," I began, clearing my throat when it came out huskier than I wanted it to. "Bella, I…" I tried again, but I couldn't find the words.

"Edward," she said soothingly, smoothing her hand across my cheek. "Whatever you need to say, just spit it out; I won't mind."

"I don't want you texting that mutt," I did just what she said spit it out… sounding like a classic, controlling boyfriend. Great.

I just knew that was the direction her thoughts had turned as her face scrunched up in concentration, trying not to laugh, as humour lit up her eyes into the sparkle I loved. I almost forgot what I was talking about as she accidently let out a laugh, instantly blocking it with one of her hands. Her face lit up with a blush… almost.

Instead, I sneered at her. "Sure, laugh at me when all I did was tell you the truth." I was tempted to slide her off my lap to show her that it truly was hurting my feelings, her laughing at me, but her warmth and softness was too comfortable.

She snorted, calming down slightly as she took in my expression. "I'm sorry… it's just," she let out a chuckle. "You sound more and more like a teenage boy every day!"

"And what, exactly, is wrong with that?" I asked her, still put off by her laughter.

Hearing my voice, and obviously deciding that I was still trying to take this conversation seriously, she stopped laughing instantly, her face going blank. It was almost unnerving how quickly the transformation took place. "Oh, I'm sorry; you're serious about this, aren't you?"

"Well, yea," I said in a slightly obnoxious tone, pulling her towards me as soon as the thought that I was behaving rudely registered in my brain, intending for the action to be a way to ask for forgiveness. She leaned into my embrace, so I knew she wasn't upset with me. "It's just… whenever we get any time alone, you're always texting him; I feel like you're not paying any attention to me at all. Not since you went and became friends with that mongrel."

She stared at me, her brown eyes analyzing my expression. I felt almost bare, as if she was seeing right through me. "This has been bothering you for a while, hasn't it?"

I nodded, looking away from her as I tried not to let her see how much it truly had been bothering me.

She sighed, taking my face into her hands. She practically had to force me to look at her again, and though I resisted her strength it was still too much for me. I looked up at her, and was startled to see how calm and understanding she looked. "Edward… I love you, and only you. Why can't you understand that?"

I shrugged, aware that I was acting slightly immature. "I don't know; maybe because every time we're alone you're always talking to that mutt."

Her eyes tightened at my derogatory name for the wolf, but I wasn't about to take it back. She sighed again, letting it slide – for now – and getting back to the conversation at hand. "You know that Jacob is just a friend, right? Just because it doesn't look like I'm paying attention to you, doesn't mean I'm not aware of your presence."

"Really? Because sometimes it looks like you completely forget I even exist, when you're off in your little bubble with that mutt."

She smiled, thought once again her eyes tightened. She had leaned back as we were talking so that we could see each other properly, and now she leaned forward, straddling my lap and brushing her fingers lightly through my hair. "That's impossible for me; I could never forget that you exist, not even if Jacob was here screaming things into my ear you would still be the one thing holding most of my attention."

I looked at her, not saying anything and hoping that my face showed her how I was feeling, how confused I was. Her smile widened as she leaned her forehead against mine, closing her eyes as she breathed my scent in deeply. I couldn't help but do the same as her unique scent rushed over me.

"I know I've told you about before about the three step process we each go through; we only go through each step once, Edward; as the first two steps demand, I will always be defending my family – your family, now – to the best of my ability, and one day I will need to get revenge on Michael for what he did to the Royals, and therefore, me. And as the third step demands… you're the only one for me. Nothing short of death could separate us, Edward. You have no reason to be jealous of somebody I feel nothing but platonic feelings for. Not when you're my Completion."

My mind returned to that conversation we had had weeks ago, when I had been slightly unsure of where our feelings were going to lead us, being different species. I sighed, knowing that she was telling the truth, but also annoyed that I hadn't kept that little fact in my mind. But… "I still don't like that you're texting him whenever we're alone."

She giggled at my one track mind. "I only text him because he texts me first; I'd feel guilty if I didn't respond. To tell you the truth, I often get annoyed with the frequency of his texts, as well… I can start turning off my phone whenever we're together, if you want."

"You'd do that?" I asked her, surprised at the offer.

"Of course," she sniggered at whatever she was thinking. "After all, you complete me, Edward." She said in a corny voice, even doing that cheesy little circle motion in the air. I laughed at her as she did so, glad that she was being so understanding about this… and liking the fact that she had agreed that the dog was slightly annoying.

She truly was an amazing creature.

**{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}**

**What is this? The ninth chapter of Soul Fliers? On a **_**Saturday?**_** Isn't this story set to update every Monday? **

**Yes, it is. I couldn't help myself, though. I hit inspiration – plus, I kind of want to focus on this story and get it done soon. Don't worry, though; that doesn't mean I'll be skimping on the action. Oh, and you'll get another update on Monday, and possibly a couple more during the week. Excited?**

**Review, and remember me.**


	10. Peony

**Soul Fliers**

**Chapter Ten: Peony**

'_**So it is certain that peonies, their favourite flower, are saluted by the people.' – Octave Mirbeau**_

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After she began turning off her phone whenever we got the chance to be alone, life was bliss. The children at school were beginning to ignore Bella just as steadily as they'd been ignoring us for the two years we'd been there… all except for one, but of course I was completely trusting of Bella.

Besides, who would want to date Mike Newton? Besides Jessica Stanley, of course. I've always known that girl was a little slower than the rest, though.

Even though she was a part of the 'strange Cullens', and it was painfully obvious that Bella and I were what they would refer to as 'an item', that didn't stop Mike from trying. It was completely irritating how many times he approached Bella, completely ignoring me at her side, and asking her out.

I was never more in love with her than when she turned him down, telling him in no uncertain terms would she ever leave me for him. I also felt mollified at the compliment she was paying me at the same time. She was so perfect for me, it was unbelievable.

Despite the annoyances at school, though, like I said; life with Bella was bliss. I was the happiest I'd been since… well, ever. She was so amazing, and always surprised me with little things, like running to be after an hour spent in different classrooms and leaping into my arms, whispering that she'd missed me. Or plopping down into my lap for lunch instead of in the seat I'd saved for her. We were becoming closer, and as we did it was also becoming harder for me to control my instinct to make her completely mine.

But I did control it… somehow.

Of course, just because she had promised to turn her phone off when we were alone, didn't mean that she had her phone off the rest of the time, as well. She still sent messages to Jacob whenever he sent one to her, and my family was beginning to notice as well. I was trying my hardest not to be jealous, though; Bella had soothed my worries that she didn't feel the same way… and continued to ensure that I knew how she felt with our little make out sessions we had before she fell asleep in my embrace every night.

Yes… life was good.

**{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}**

"You know, I've just realized something," Bella said thoughtfully as I ran my fingers through her hair, getting out the slight tangles.

"What did you realize, pretty bird?" I asked, kissing her temple.

She turned towards me, looking at me with playful eyes. "You've never taken me out on a date."

Instantly, I was a stuttering mess. "Oh, I'm sorry, Bella. I didn't even think about that. You know, we don't eat so of course I wouldn't think about taking you out to a restaurant or something, and well… I wasn't aware that you would even _like_ something like that, you know? You've never brought it up before so I assumed that you were alright with just hanging out here-"

"Woah, Edward; slow down," she cut me off, laughing slightly. "I'm not upset. I was just stating a fact; you haven't taken me out on a date yet… and of course it's something I'd be interested in. I may be immortal, but that doesn't mean I don't have normal teenage feelings."

I let out the breath I wasn't aware I was holding in, relieved. "Don't scare me like that – I thought you were really upset that I hadn't taken you out yet." I smiled at her. "So… you want to go out on a date, then?"

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, I do; we don't have to do anything special, but it would still be nice."

"I agree. I'd get to show others that you're mine, not just the citizens of Forks." I chuckled along with her, pulling her close and kissing her forehead. "How does Port Angeles sound, the classic dinner and a movie?"

"Sounds perfect," she said, leaning forward and returning my kiss with a kiss on my nose. I smirked at her.

"I think you missed."

Her eyes lit up with humour, but her face took on a playful serious mask. "Oh, dear; I believe you're right. Can't go missing the target all the time, now can I?"

"No, you can't," I told her, delighted she was playing along.

"I'll just have to fix my mistake," she winked, leaning forward and catching my top lip in between hers. I groaned into the kiss; how did she always manage to make me feel as if I was in Heaven? She must have been in angel with the way she felt and tasted. I pulled her body closer to mine, revelling in the heat. My hands had a mind of their own as they slipped under her shirt slightly, rubbing up and down her spine. I didn't go any farther than her ribs, but even that small amount of skin was enough to drive me wild. I groaned again as she moaned at my touch, bringing her arms up to bury her fingers in my hair, pulling on it slightly. With her strength it was enough to cause me a little pain, but it was still amazing. I was careful not to apply to much pressure as I crushed her into my chest, needing to feel more contact with her.

I was surprised as she pulled back suddenly, her hands disappearing. As I opened my eyes, I was met with an amazing sight; Bella was pulling her top over her head, revealing more creamy, smooth skin to my eyes… and as she took it completely off, she became the first girl I had seen in a bra – willingly, anyway. Being a mind reader, I often saw these things, no matter how much I tried to block them out.

I only needed two words to describe what Bella was wearing; blue, and lacy. Of course, it was just as bright as all of the other clothes she was always wearing – a beautiful, light blue that set of her skin tone perfectly. It had suddenly become my favourite colour on her and I hoped I could convince her to wear t more often.

I hadn't realized I was just sitting there staring at her until she began to wave her hand back and forth in front of my eyes. "Hello… anyone in there?" She asked teasingly in a sing song voice. As I blinked like a fool and swallowed, she giggled. "Oh, good; I thought you went into shock.

"You're so beautiful, pretty bird," I breathed, continuing my motion on her back as I stared unashamed at her chest.

She giggled again, this time harder, causing her… um, assets to bounce lightly up and down, making me have to swallow again. "I'd appreciate that compliment being said more if you were looking at my face, but thank you."

I smiled slightly, not moving my eyes. "I'm sorry, let me rephrase: _all of you_ is beautiful, pretty bird."

I could tell she was smiling from her voice as she spoke again. "Well, are you going to do anything or are you just going to stare at me?"

Without my brain even registering it, my hands were moving up and caressing her curves as they made their way to her breasts, and within seconds they were cupping her over her bra. She moaned slightly, leaning forward and capturing my mouth again, causing me to close my eyes as I felt her react to my touch, even though it was through the cloth.

It continued this way for around a half hour, before our kissing began slowing down as Bella became tired; usually, she would have been in bed an hour before, and so I wasn't surprised. I was a little saddened as she moved out of my reach, getting ready to go to sleep. I had enjoyed my first time 'feeling up' a girl.

Man, I should stop hanging out with Emmett… he wasn't a good influence on me.

She fell asleep with a huge smile on her face, and as she slept I remembered the perfect view she had awarded me with.

Did I mention how perfect she was for me?

**{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}**

The next day at school I found it harder to concentrate on anything but Bella. The devil was an even bigger pain as he couldn't forget going over what had happened the night before as I tried in vain to remember the quadratic formula so that I could complete the simple math sheet that had been placed in front of me. Every time I moved to put my pencil to the paper, though, visions of blue and lace trimming ran through my head, preventing me from getting anything done.

As the bell rang signalling my escape to lunch, I nearly snarled as I saw her in the hallway. I walked up to her, probably a little faster than I should have, and leaned in close to her ear as I wrapped my arms around her waist, preventing her from walking anywhere. "Why did you have to take your shirt off last night? Now it's all I can think about?" I growled into her ear, not really annoyed at her; more irritated about my apparent regression into a hormonal teenage boy. Was I really any better than Newton, now?

She laughed outright, turning her head and standing on her tiptoes so that she could whisper in my ear. "That was the plan; couldn't have you thinking of anything else when I was around, now could I? Besides, it's not like we both didn't enjoy it – I had to practically force you to stop touching me so that I could go to sleep."

I growled, frustrated, knowing she was telling the truth. "I may have enjoyed it, but I'm pretty sure my teacher was surprised when he saw that I didn't get anything done at all in my last class. Besides, I didn't need the image of you topless in my head so that I couldn't stop thinking about you; you were already running through my mind every second of every day."

"That sounds like a corny pick-up line," she snickered.

I faked being surprised. "You mean you haven't heard it? Well, then, I'm going to have to change that." As the hallway cleared, I led her to the wall and trapped her there, staring into her perfect eyes. "Aren't you tired? 'Cause you've been running through my mind all day," I whispered to her, laying little kisses all over her face.

She snorted. "Wow, and I thought you were smooth with the ladies, Cullen; that's a pathetic way of picking up girls."

"You love me and you know it," I told her, attacking her lips with my own. Five minutes into it, though, her stomach let out an adorable little rumbling sound, and I backed up. "Looks like it's time to feed the pretty bird," I smirked, pulling her along with me. She smiled at me sweetly, before moving out of my hold and running lightly into the cafeteria, causing me to laugh and chase after her at human pace. Man, I loved this girl.

As I was waiting in the lunch line with her, watching as she picked out her usual food, she stopped suddenly and smirked up at me, and I just knew that there was going to be trouble coming. "Oh, and by the way – today I'm wearing yellow."

And, since her top was orange and certainly not yellow, I couldn't help but let out a small moan as my visions of perfect blue turned into sunny yellow, and I knew that one way or another I was going to have to see to it that I could envision the right shade of yellow.

"That sounds lovely," I said into her ear once I could breathe properly. "Now stop being a tease and let's go join our family so you can eat."

Of course, as expected, she giggled again. She was too perfect.

**{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}**

**Another update, just as promised. And now there is finally a reason for this story to be labelled as 'T'. Hopefully no one was uncomfortable reading that… the gods know that there are worse things on this site, though.**

**Oh, on my profile, there is a link to my polyvore account under the 'Contact' section. There, you can find the outfits that I imagine Bella wearing in the different chapters of this story. I'll try to ensure that each outfit described makes its way out onto the open through polyvore.**

**One other thing; since many people thought that Bella shouldn't have gotten away so easily with the whole texting thing... did she make up for it by showing him how she looks topless? :)**

**Review, and remember me.**


	11. Rose

**Soul Fliers**

**Chapter Eleven: Rose**

'_**A brier rose whose buds yield fragrant harvest for the honey bee.' – Letitia Landon**_

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Pink. Tonight she was wearing a pink one… and of course it was just as lacy as all of the others.

"Mmm, Edward," she moaned as my hands returned to their rightful spots over her breasts. Okay, so I'll admit it; since the day she had first showed me her shirtless figure, I had become a little obsessed with seeing it again. She was always teasing me about it, too; knowing that I couldn't stop thinking about when the next time I would be able to see her lovely, bouncing assets was again.

Of course, she also somehow came up with a way to nearly read my mind, and teased me endlessly about my inability to call them 'boobs', as the generation of youth did so often. Was it my fault that I was raised to use the proper terms for things? No, but that didn't prevent her from teasing me about it anyway.

Other than that, though, I knew she enjoyed my fixation just as much as I did. I got to fulfill my wishes, and she got to feel pleasure.

We hadn't gone any further than that so far, no matter how much I wanted to. Sometimes I think that she wanted it to, but then something would flash through her eyes and she would smile at me, calming down our makeout session and, usually, falling asleep soon after. I was so happy that she was in my life that I followed her lead, allowing her to stop our actions if she wanted to stop. She was the one who took off her top, and she would be the one to take the next step.

I was not going to force her into doing anything she didn't want to do.

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School was slowly returning to the hell I had known it as before Bella showed up and made it all worthwhile; except now, I wasn't complaining endlessly about having to do everything over and over again, I was complaining about how much Bella teased me with thoughts and visions of her parading around shirtless in my mind. It didn't help that she would drop little hints about the colour she was wearing that day whenever we had a moment alone in the busy hallways; Jasper was even throwing me pitying looks, knowing how it was when your mate teased you as mine was teasing me.

I had made good on my promise to her, though; tonight, I was taking her out on a date. There was a new movie out about a popular website, and I had discovered that – though she was always eating salad – her favourite type of food was Italian. So, with a quick Google search, I found a lovely place called _La Bella Italia_ that was only a five minute walk from the theatre. I made reservations for us there at 5:30, and we would have more than enough time for her to eat, walk around the pier for a while, and catch the movie at 7:00. Bella seemed really excited about the prospect of going on an actual date, anyway.

Of course, once Alice caught wind that we were going on a date, she needed to get in on it. She bombarded us – well, mostly Bella – at lunch and wouldn't leave her alone, no matter how much I glared at her to allow my mate to eat.

"So, have you decided what you're going to wear yet?" My pixie of a sister asked in a high-pitched voice. "I mean, even though you two are totally in love and everything, doesn't mean this isn't a big deal; it's your first date, and your outfit should me a memorable one – something neither of you will forget."

I butted in the conversation. "Just to let you know, Alice… I remember everything that Bella wears – she's so beautiful I can't help it." I winked at said beautiful one, watching delightedly as she blushed. Usually she was so collected, it was rare when I got to witness her pale cheeks flush with colour. My sister smiled at us, but wasn't deterred.

"That doesn't mean she can get away with wearing something normal and bland; well, as bland as Bella can get," she wrinkled her nose. "Are you going to answer me, Bella?"

Bella rolled her eyes, looking back up at my sister and smirking. "Yes, Alice; I've already chosen what I'm going to wear, and no – you don't get to express your opinion."

My sister huffed, and though his thoughts were amused at the situation, my brother took on the role of a loving mate and comforted her, barely holding back his laughter. Luckily, Alice wasn't the mind reader of the family, and so he didn't get into trouble for his less than sincere words.

Satisfied that my sister was distracted, I motioned Bella back towards her food and watched her as she finished her meal, happy that she loved me as much as I loved her.

**{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}**

I could never understand why my sisters took so long to get ready, but Bella could look just as beautiful in five minutes. She obviously understood that even though 'fashion is important', you could still use all of the supernatural speed you had. When I told her that we should get getting so that we could make our reservation, she had said that she'd be down in a few minutes. My mind automatically translated that into half an hour to an hour, and I knew that I'd be speeding to make it on time. However, I was pleasantly surprised when, exactly seven minutes later, she came downstairs…

…and took my breath away. She had remembered that my favourite colour on her was the shade of light blue, almost cerulean, and was now wearing a dress of that colour. Her shoulders were covered by a white, vested blazer, and her feet were covered in adorable shoes that had an almost vintage look to them. She was the image of perfection, as always.

Of course, my sister was waiting with me, and my ogling was interrupted by a shrill squeal as she ran quickly up to Bella and started rambling about her choice of outfit. I smirked as Bella calmly pushed her away, and stepped around my bouncing sister, making her way to me.

She grabbed my hands in her own as she stood in front of me, and swung them lightly back and forth in one of the childish motions that I adored about her. I smiled at her, my dead heart flittering as she returned it.

"You look so beautiful, pretty bird," I whispered to her, incredibly happy that she was mine, and mine alone.

"Thank you; you look rather dashing, if I say so myself," she returned, biting her lip. I nodded at her compliment, though I knew I was nothing compared to her. Taking a deep breath, her scent clouding my mind, I let it out as I tried to remember why it wouldn't be appropriate at that moment to drag her back upstairs so that we could have some alone time.

"Come on, let's go," I told her, waving slightly at my family as I turned to open the front door for her. She smiled, quietly said goodbye to the others and followed me out to the car, waiting patiently as I opened that door for her as well. She had quickly taken note of all of the habits my human mother had instilled on me; the manners that were important to have during my time.

The way there was spent in contented silence; I held her hand over the gear shift the entire way there, wanting to keep contact with her skin for as long as I could. Unfortunately, I had to let go when we arrived – perfectly on time – to make my way around the car. I was tempted to use my vampire speed to cut down the seconds away from her, but there were too many witnesses around; Rosalie would have had my head if she ever found out I had done that, anyway. Emmett, being the wonderful mate to her that he was, probably would have helped.

Bella smiled brightly as she looked at the name of the restaurant, turning to me and winking. "Is this some weird way to worm yourself even further into my heart by choosing a restaurant with my name in it, or is it just a coincidence?" She asked me, smirking at my flustered expression.

"Well, 'Bella' _does_ mean beautiful in Italian," I told her. "I can't help it if the Italians think their country is beautiful and name there restaurant after that fact."

She smiled at me, grabbing my hand again and allowing me to lead her inside. She was leaning into my side lightly, causing me to smile widely as I remembered the reason I was entering this building that was full of repulsing human food. I would do anything for this girl.

I walked lead her up the hostess stand, not even glancing at the girl behind it. "Reservation under Cullen for two," I said calmly, preparing myself to spend an hour surrounded by food that smelled less than appealing to me.

_Oh my god_, I heard a breathy mind echo a bunch of times. _He's so HOT_. Sighing tensely, I turned towards the hostess, already knowing that she was the one who was thinking that way. The way she was just standing there, I had the feeling that she hadn't heard what I had said.

It seems that Bella got that feeling, as well. "_Reservation under Cullen for two_," she said slowly, adding some hand motions in there as well. Her voice was annoyed, and I could tell that she was irritated at the girl's staring. The hostess finally took notice of the beautiful girl beside me, and I winced as envy and sadness filled her mind. Even though she wanted me, she couldn't deny the beauty of my date.

_Of course he'd be with someone like that,_ she sulked. _They both look like models_. She didn't try to do anything after that, just got us our menus and led us to our table. The thought of sitting us in a crowded place so that we wouldn't get any privacy crossed her mind, but then she reasoned that she wouldn't want the hostess to do that if she was on a date, and so she played the nice girl and sulked back off to her station, sighing in resignation.

I chuckled at how dramatic the entire thing was, turning to my date and watching as she looked over the menu. I reached across for her hand, needing to reassure myself that I hadn't somehow fallen asleep and dreamed her up. That would have been just my luck.

She ended up ordering the mushroom ravioli; something that was far from appetizing to me but she seemed to really enjoy once the waitress brought it out. I watch as she ate, humming with every bite as the taste swept over her tongue. I was smiling like an idiot, glad she was enjoying herself, when I heard the distinct sound of a cellphone vibrating.

She looked apologetic as I glanced at her confused, wondering why she hadn't turned her phone off. "Sorry, Edward, but… you know that friend I went to visit?" I nodded. "Well, he said that he had something to tell me, but he didn't have time earlier… and so I blocked Jacob from texting me tonight, but kept my phone on. I was hoping he wouldn't interrupt our date, but this could be important."

I sighed, not saying anything. I didn't want her to know how disappointed I was that she couldn't leave the cellphone at home during our first date. She smiled apologetically at me, raising the phone to her face and reading over the message. In a matter of seconds, her breathing quickened and became shallower as her eyes widened in shock, anger, and… happiness?

She froze up, just staring at the screen. From the movement of her eyes, she was reading the message over and over again. On her tenth reread, I interrupted her. "Mind telling me what's going on?" I asked her, my annoyance firm in my tone.

Her tone was emotionless, and her voice held the haunting memories of her past as she answered me. "He found Michael."

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**Wow… so, whoever Bella's 'friend' is, he's been helping her find a way to get her revenge. How is Edward going to handle this?**

**Review, and remember me.**


	12. Posies

**Soul Fliers**

**Chapter Twelve: Posies**

'_**Ring around the rosy, pocket full of posies, ashes, ashes, we all fall down.'**_

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"Carlisle, can you call the wolves for me?" Bella asked my father as she paced back and forth in our living room, thinking hard. It was the first thing she had said since we'd arrived back here after quickly paying the bill at the restaurant and turning the hour long drive into a twenty minute drive.

"Are you sure it's okay to pull them into this, Bella?" Carlisle asked as he returned to the room with the cordless phone.

Bella finally stopped pacing, allowing me to reach out for her and wrap my arms around her waist. She closed her eyes as she leaned back into me, opening them again to look at my father figure. "They are aware that this was coming; that's the real reason I went to visit them. I knew that, when and if my… friend found Michael, I would need as much help as I could get. Now, call them, Carlisle; let them know what's going on – I need their help."

"Hold on," Rosalie said, holding up her hands and halting Carlisle's moving hands as we made to dial the number of Sam Uley. "You told the wolves that this was coming, but you didn't tell us?"

Bella sighed. "Honestly, Rosalie; if I had told Edward I had somebody actively seeking out a man that slaughtered my entire family so that I could get my much needed revenge on him, how do you think that would have went?" It was rhetorical question; Rosalie just shrugged and nodded, understanding. "Oh, and all that texting? I was just making plans, by the way – really nothing to be worried about," she whispered to me. "Half the time it wasn't even Jacob that I was talking to, I just needed a way to keep you in the dark about all of this." She turned away from me, not giving me the chance to protest about anything. "Now, no more interruptions; Carlisle, dial the damn number and get them here as soon as possible. I'll need all the help I can get for this."

Emmett flexed his muscles. "We don't need those mutts to help us, little sister; we can take them on our own."

Bella actually smiled, watching my brother with amused eyes. "Hate to burst your bubble, Em; but Michael basically single-handedly slaughtered the strongest clan of my kind. You're strong, but not _that_ strong." I'd never seen my brother more put out than he was at that moment, when the sensible words sunk in. He knew she was right and didn't want to admit it, so instead he sulked about it to Rosalie, who rolled her eyes but comforted him, nonetheless.

"How long have you been planning all of this?" I asked her, trying not to show her how upset I was that she hadn't told me. I knew she could see right through the act, though; she began soothingly running her tiny hands along me arm.

"Since before I moved here; I've had people looking for him and bringing me updates for years; they caught his trail a couple of weeks ago, and I had to go and check it out for them, so that they didn't begin following a trail that wasn't actually his." She sighed, a hard expression moving over her eyes. "They've caught up to him, now, and are working on sending me his exact location, numbers, and possibly what he is working on doing. We've expected that he was planning something for a long time now, and I've got people listening in on his conversations, no matter how mundane they are."

Carlisle hung up the phone, glancing up at her calmly. "The wolves are on their way."

"Good," she said, her eyes darting back and forth as if she were reading something in the air. "They'll be here in five minutes, and then as soon as Ronald sends me the message we can head out."

Alice piped up, then; she was frustrated, because now that the wolves were coming she couldn't see as well – she hated not being able to see. "Well, if you've basically been preparing the wolves for whatever is coming this entire time, what are we expected to do?" We all stopped, watching Bella for the answer. It hadn't even occurred to us.

"Well…" she stuttered, obviously not expecting the question. "You guys are like my family, and I just wouldn't be able to handle it if I lost _both_ of my families. I mean, I've got the wolves, and a small army of my own species – we should be fine. If you guys just stay here we'll be back in –"

"No," I cut her off. "There is no way I am allowing you to go do this without me. If my family wants to stay here, they can, but I'm coming with you."

She let out a little growl, and at any other time I would have told her how adorable it sounded. As it was, now was not the time. "This is exactly why I didn't tell you what was going on; I knew you`d be like this."

"You're my mate, Bella," I growled into her ear. "Of _course_ I'd be like this. Even if you are some centuries old warrior, I'm not letting you go without me. That's just not how it's done in your world."

She took a deep breath, trying to calm her now racing heartbeat. "It may not be how it's done in _your _world, but this is exactly how it's done in _my _world. Usually, of a completed pair, one of the partners is a warrior, while the other is assigned one of the other many clan tasks. The warrior _always_ leaves the partner behind for battle; they would never bring an untrained fighter into it because they don't want to be away from each other – it's just not done."

Jasper stepped forward. "We are hardly untrained, Bella; we can fight. My family has been living with me for decades, and for nearly a century all I did was train people how to fight and win. You'd be better off bringing us with you."

What he said made sense, but Bella still began muttering profanities under her breath – something I was sure I'd never see/hear her do. I was already witnessing changes in her attitude and behaviour; the Bella we knew and loved was definitely different than the Bella who was a great warrior for her people. Her mood was no longer bright and buoyant, but calm and serious. Her eyes hadn't focused on a spot in ten minutes, darting around as she went through the different ideas that were racing through her mind.

"Fine," she spit out. "If you die, don't blame me. I'll be blaming myself enough for all of us." She didn't allow anyone to comment on that, though. "Oh, and don't be surprised if whoever you're attacking suddenly turns into a bird – just _keep attacking them_. It's very crucial that you don't let them escape. I'll be going after Michael myself, so everybody else will just be dealing with his recruits; they shouldn't be too strong, he's vain enough to want weaker people around him so that he can appear tougher than he is, but there'll be big numbers, and –" she was cut off by her phone ringing. The seemingly bright ringtone now echoed rather ominously around the room as she glanced down to read the message that had arrived. She whistled. "We're going up against a group of around 3,000, it looks like; we'll only need to get his main fighters and, of course, Michael – the others will probably be willing to leave if they want to live."

"And how many do we have?" Jasper asked, the soldier in him coming out. He, too, was thinking up plans for action, though he wasn't quite sure what we were going up against.

"With you, and the wolves, we'll have…" she closed her eyes, swallowing. "A lot less than 3,000. But, we're stronger than his random recruits, so we should be fine." She sounded like she was trying to convince herself more than us. "I have to go change; um, you won't really need anything, but you should probably pack a few outfits and bring any forms of identification you have." She tugged herself out of my arms, hurrying upstairs. Alice followed close after her, saying quietly that she'd pack for us all. Of course she wouldn't be able to handle not picking out our clothes. Everyone, including Esme, rolled their eyes at that, before we went back to worrying. I felt a little sorry for Jasper about the range of different emotions that had to be filling the room.

We all turned back towards the stairs as we heard Bella's heartbeat drawing nearer, and I knew we were all shocked. Gone were the bright colours we always saw her in; the main colour she was wearing wasn't even really a colour, it was black. She was wearing a tan coloured shirt under a black vest, but that was the only splash of colour in the outfit. It was so different from what she was usually wearing that we all just stared; looking into their minds, I knew that my family were each trying to blend together the bright and bubbly girl we knew with this strict and serious warrior. They were two different, and there were definite lines separating the two girls who were one and the same.

As she walked closer, I could see that she had two knives strapped to her side, and it unnerved me, though she'd told me time and time again what it was exactly that she did. It just didn't seem right to me, letting her parade around with dangerous weapons. I couldn't help but gather her into my arms, and I smiled as she let out a slight giggle before she fell back into her serious mode – something I wasn't enjoying as much. I missed her easy, carefree attitude. It was hard to believe that an hour before we were both so excited for our first date, and now we were preparing to end a centuries old feud.

As her cellphone chimed again, she repeated the coordinates to Jasper, who programmed them into the GPS. "The wolves are here," she whispered as we heard the sound of heavy, clawing footsteps digging into the ground. We flitted outside quickly, watching as our natural enemies ran towards us; it was strange to think that they were here to help us instead of hurt us. There had never been a case like this before, but it was hard not to offer to help Bella if you knew her. She was too much of a sweetheart for anyone to allow her to do something like this without all the help you could offer. "Is everything ready?" She turned to Alice as my sister joined us outside with a couple of bags; at least for once it didn't seem like she'd gone overboard with the packing. Alice nodded, watching the wolves – well, more like glaring at them for inhibiting her view of the unknown.

"I've got everything we'll need," she said quietly after a few seconds of keeping eye contact with a rather small looking wolf.

"Great," she said, turning to a black coloured wolf that we knew was the alpha of the pack, Sam Uley. "And you're pack is ready for this, Sam?" At a nod from the wolf, she continued. "You'll have to run alongside the vehicles – if we come across any open area where you can't hide in the forests, we'll stop to figure something out. We're only taking two vehicles; it'll be easier to stick together that way. Are all of you up for running some long distances?" A few wolfish barks of excitement, and she smiled. "Excellent." She clapped her hands together, transforming into the happy girl I had fallen head over heels in love with. I wrapped my arms lovingly around her waist again, kissing the side of her neck softly as she leaned into me. "Let's go, then."

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We had to stop a few times to figure out how the wolves were going to continue to follow the vehicles while still staying hidden, but all in all there weren't too many open fields that we passed by. Bella explained shortly that Soul Fliers really liked being near a lot of trees as it allowed them a little more freedom because it hid them from human eyes better. She said that it had been like that since before she was born – that even the Air Clan enjoyed being near the trees over fields and meadows, no matter how beautiful the latter things were.

As we drew near where the GPS was leading us, my senses – and the senses of my family, the wolves, and Bella – were overwhelmed with the scent of sweet smelling humans and the tangier scent of birds. Bella smiled slightly, before speaking. "We're close, now; we just have to meet up with the others, and then we can head it – the quicker we do it, the less of a chance they'll be able to figure out that someone's coming after them."

Jasper nodded in agreement, quickly grabbing Bella's attention as the two discussed our plan of attack. He couldn't find many places to improve on, but he did have to keep pushing Bella to allow us to be part of the offensive action and not just defense. As he was reminding her of this again, I sighed and pulled her back into my chest, breathing lightly into her ear.

"When are you going to understand that we're going to stay by your side, no matter what? We're not going to let you stray too far away from us." Though I knew it wasn't something she wanted to hear, exactly, she still smiled and sighed softly.

"I know, I just can't help but wish you would all stop being so stubborn and let me protect my family as much as I can – I failed once, and I wouldn't be able to handle it if I failed again."

"We'll be fine, Bella," Alice piped up from the driver's seat; I could hear from the others' minds that they were listening in to our conversation from the other car, as well. "I don't need my visions to see that."

"I hope you're right, Alice," Bella said, shaking her head. "I really hope you're right."

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**Chapter twelve? Wow. I've definitely gotten over my writer's block now, haven't I? Things are going swimmingly with the writing of this chapter. Though, I have to say, I'm really looking forwards to finishing this story. I love writing **_**Soul Fliers**_**, but it's going to be nice to be able to focus on my other stories better. The next story I'm going to quickly write chapter after chapter of? **_**Strange Imprints: A Lion Sleeps**_**. If you follow that story, as well, look forward to some quick updates in the near future.**

**Now, I know how nice it's been to be getting all of these quick updates, but I'm going out of town for the weekend. Know what that means? No internet. So, you'll have to wait until Tuesday to get the next chapter.**

**I think I'm going to put my other three stories – **_**ZSE, Edward's Inferno**_**, and **_**Fanged**_** – on hold until I finish those two. They don't have as much followers, and so I don't feel the need to work on them as much. Anywho…**

**Review, and remember me.**


	13. Quartz

**Soul Fliers**

**Chapter Thirteen: Quartz**

'_**They are composed of quartz, granite, shale, slate, and talcose.' – Antoine Lavoisier**_

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The campground where Bella's fellow soul fliers were staying and hiding out from Michael was organized just enough to drive you slightly insane. It seems that not only did they sort themselves out by clan, but they sorted themselves out by bird species, and then by the colour of your feathers. Bella was the only of the Royal Clan left, so even if she wanted to sort herself into a group as her kind did she couldn't; she was a group all on her own.

Despite being separated into little groups, though, they still knew who their central leader was. When we had first entered the camps, Bella had marched directly up to an old-looking man, who began to fill her in on everything that was happening.

She had looked over her shoulder at us as she began asking her questions; unfortunately, the wolves had stuck close to our sides as they didn't know anyone else except us and Bella. Rosalie was being rather sour about it. "And who is keeping watch at the moment?" She said softly.

"Logan and Loraine," the man Bella had addressed as Ronald answered her. "I suggest you remember them from the River Clan?" He smiled in an odd way, and I got the sense that he had known Bella for a very long time.

To my surprise, she laughed. "How could I possibly forget them? They were always running around my feet, practically my shadows!" Her laugh was brighter than I'd heard it since she received the first message; she calmed down quickly, though a slight smile remained on the corner of her lips. "I suggest they are doing well, then?"

"Quite well," he spoke, humour in his tone as well. "They were asking, rather insistently I might add, about when you were going to arrive. Both of them were rather upset with me when I put them on guard duty – they didn't much like the idea that they might miss your arrival, which they have."

"I'm sure they'll take it out on you later, Ronnie – they always do." Her smile was bright and teasing, her eyes free.

He sighed dramatically. "Another scar to add to the list, I suppose."

She snorted, before turning to a man who was standing just behind Ronald. "What's this, Beau? I don't even get a hug from you? I thought we were friends." She pouted adorably and I couldn't resist walking up behind her to hold her in my arms. I didn't like the distance that had been between us. I could hear and sense my family moving up behind us, as well, wanting to stay together. The wolves, regrettably, were not far behind.

The other of Bella's kind were looking at us rather oddly, most likely trying to figure us out; I had noticed right away the astounding silence of this unique breed of shape shifters – it seemed I couldn't read any of their minds. That would be unfortunate while we were fighting, but it was manageable. I was quite enjoying the silence.

"I'll be sure to greet you properly later, my lady," he smiled. "But right now I'm busy making sure our numbers are correct."

"What are our numbers?" She asked, instantly becoming serious as she made her way around Ronald and towards the rough looking man.

"Ah," he chuckled, scratching the back of his neck. "We've got a ratio of about 1 to 5."

"One man for every five of theirs? I don't much like that ratio. Isn't there anybody else we could call in? What about the Landwalkers, I don't see them here."

"The Landwalkers have been swallowed up by the Fire Clan, I'm afraid, my lady."

She sighed, closing her eyes. Her hand moved away from her side, fluttering around in the air until finally it hung suspended, pointing towards me. I did my best to give her what she wanted by stepping forward again and grasping it tightly, letting her know that we would fight alongside her no matter how bad the numbers were. "The young ones?"

"We've moved the ones who haven't gone through the Stopping; those you see here are the ones the laws say can actually participate in violence. There wasn't much to work with; we got everybody we could."

"I can see that," she sighed. "Thanks for trying, though, Beau."

"You're welcome, my lady, as always." He smiled down at her, taking in our clasped hands with patience and ease. "Now, are you going to introduce me to your Completion?"

She startled, seeming to have forgotten that we didn't know each other in the midst of battle preparations. "How did you know he was my Completion?"

He chuckled. "Darling, it's written all over your face. I remember when I met my Marissa… ah, she still lights up my world, even after all of these years. You should look forward to the future, my lady; it's a bright one indeed, now that you've found…" He trailed off pointedly, and she straightened up immediately.

"Oh, yes, of course. Beau, this is Edward Cullen – my Completion. Edward, this is Beaumont Eastland of the River Clan."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," I spoke formally, holding my hand out to him. He disregarded my open palm, instead grasping my forearm in a tight bond. I was confused, and I'm sure I looked the part, but I grasped his forearm as well, expecting him to shake it. But he didn't; he just stood there, staring at me, until Bella began laughing.

"Beau, leave him alone. You can get all intense with him later; or, more specifically, _after_ we fight the bastard known as Michael." I had never heard her swear before, but her sweet voice somehow still managed to sound like she was singing the softest lullaby. I rubbed the back of her hand with my thumb in a soothing motion, knowing that if she had cursed she was growing tense about the upcoming events. She relaxed into me, leaning heavily against my side, before straightening up and pulling me towards the table where Ronald and two others were looking over a seemingly detailed drawing of a campground – Michael's campground, I would assume. "Okay, let's get this show on the road."

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An hour later, we were all perched on the edges of the forest, peering into the darkness and appraising the enemy. The other Soul Fliers had changed into outfits much like Bella's, and I knew that was the reason she had shed her bright colours for the dull shades of her current outfit; it was sort of a tradition amongst her kind, as was the strange handshake. We had been introduced to countless others and each of them had greeted us with the same thing – a firm grasp of the forearm and a deep look into our eyes, as if they were staring into our souls. Yet another reason to refer to them as Soul Fliers.

Bella was amazing; I mean, I'd always thought so, but in the times when she was planning our strategies and moves she became even more so in my eyes. I had had a hard time imagining my tiny little mate fighting anybody, let alone people she would actually dub 'enemies', but here she was proving me wrong; she was completely serious about her career, if you could call it that.

"3rd division, spread out," she whispered into the air, not even glancing back. Immediately the people who were all wearing blue scarves around their left arms moved around the back of the group, spreading out along some invisible line that could only be seen when looking at the map. Even though there had only been an hour to plan, it had been thought out extensively; Jasper was so impressed that he had stopped sharing his ideas, feeling inferior to these obviously superior beings. They had shot down his ideas so much that I had a little doubt that he would ever think out loud again. Not like that would stop me from knowing what he was thinking…

As the last member of the 3rd division stepped into place, they all shook out their arms, and I got the strange image of a group of birds fluffing out their feathers for flight. Bella was as still as always.

"2nd division… move in." Ronald and Beau were the head of this division, and they gracefully swept forward, the others with yellow scarves following after them carefully. They went in a slightly curved line, that if you hadn't seen the line on a map wouldn't make any sense.

There were four divisions – the fourth had already been directed to move around, and once they saw that 2nd division moving in, you could hear the tell-tale sign of fighting on the opposite side of the blocked in campground. As the enemy spotted the 2nd division on the other side these fights became visible for us – and there was _so _many of them. We hadn't thought about what it would be like to be severely outnumbered, but now we were faced with the fact that there was a heavy chance that we would lose this fight. I stared at my mate, wondering if I would lose her so soon after finding her.

I didn't have time to say any type of potential goodbye, though, before everyone but us were suddenly shifting into different birds. Eagles, falcons, swallows, chickadees, crows… any bird you could name was appearing in places where a human form had been before. And though you wouldn't necessarily think that a chickadee could appear fierce… they all could fight amazingly while in this alternate form. I tell you, if you ever see a morning dove heading towards you with a purpose, run – because it might be able to shred you to pieces as I was witnessing at that moment. The morning dove made quick work of a swallow it was fighting, before moving on to its next target. By the slight yellow stripe in the left wing, I knew the dove was one of ours, and I couldn't help but feel proud. Bright columns of flames and smoke burst upwards as the 3rd division took their cue to move in and began lighting up the shelters, trapping many inside and burning them and running many more out. Bella smiled at this, before cocking her head to the side in concentration. She swallowed, before turning to us and standing still.

"You don't need to do this; you can still back out," she said to all of us, peering into the faces of my family and into the eyes of the wolves. "If you think this is too much for you, we can make do without you… well, we can try, at least."

I was already shaking my head, knowing that I was going to answer for the entire group of us. "We're going to stick by you, no matter what."

She rolled her eyes. "You guys are either really loyal, or complete idiots. Either way, I don't care. Thank you," she said the last bit softly. Her eyes remained soft as she made the call we were all waiting for. "First division, take flight."

She had decided to use the former fighting calls of her people for our division, even though she was the only one who could truly 'take flight'. Even though we had planned this, this attack plan had been used many times by her people, and had always granted them with victory. We were hoping using this strategy would give us the same result.

She turned, flitting into the battle, and though I tried to keep up with her I still lost sight of her within seconds. A feeling of panic settled over me, before I remembered the task and began taking down the birds that didn't have some sort of colourful stripes on their left wings. It was fairly quick work, quicker than we had thought it would be. It seemed that Michael hadn't been training his followers as well as we had assumed he had. It wasn't very smart, but then again he had probably assumed that nobody would dare try to stand up to him, not when he had so easily defeated the last reigning king.

I had taken down around thirteen birds when I heard a piercing cry that could only come for a hawk. Instantly I, along with everyone else, turned towards the aching noise, and stood gaping at what we saw.

It was definitely a hawk – a huge hawk, and when I say huge I mean its wing span was somewhere around 7 feet. The hawk was lying on the ground with another bird clawing at its side, and the image proved to be rather funny when I took in the size of the other bird. The colourful creature that was so viciously attacking the giant hawk could easily fit in even Alice's palm, and yet it was so fierce and was definitely laying painful blows. It was a beautiful bright blue, green, and purple hummingbird, its wings thrumming.

Instantly, something made me aware that this tiny thing must be my Bella; she was the only living entity on Earth that could ever hold as much attraction to me as this bird was. Just as quickly, I knew that the hawk she was so easily taking down was Michael, and I found myself smiling as the bird let out another agonizing cry.

At some unknown signal, everyone but the two fighting birds shifted back, and I realized that though it had seemed so easy our side had still lost many. I didn't want to think about that, though, so I turned my gaze back to the center to realize that the two creatures there had also returned to human form. Bella was whispering something in his ear, and he briefly nodded, before falling silent. His heart came to a shuddering stop, and Bella just sat there. We all felt the need to stand still, watching them.

_When will she ever stop surprising me_? I asked myself as I watched Bella grab the dead man's hand and bring it to her chest, bowing her head and gently kissing the knuckles. After ensuring that each joint had been pecked, she turned her head to sky and let out a soft, gentle bird's coo, and the others joined in. The sadness was palpable in the air, even from the side that had been working against him. It made me realize how connected they all were, even though they were separated by beliefs and feathers. The grief belonged to the entire species.

And the entire species was beautiful.

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**Well? I know, the fighting scene wasn't that big. I was thinking of writing an outtake from Bella's point of view of the fight, so that you can see everything instead of Edward's slightly disjointed thoughts.**

**The epilogue is coming next!**

**What did you think?**

**Review and remember me.**


	14. Jewel

**Soul Fliers**

**Epilogue: Jewel**

_**'Every jewel is precious in its own way.' - Xlara Conners**_

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"Alice, have you seen Bella anywhere?" I asked my sister. Bella's scent had led me to her room, but it had also led outside and into the woods… I had looked everywhere I could think of but I still couldn't find her.

"Not since a couple hours ago," she said nonchalantly, brushing aside my slight worrying. "She'll be back soon, though."

"Okay," I sighed, knowing that was all I was going to get out of her at the moment; she was online shopping, and shopping was always the best way to distract her from what was going on in reality. She would probably prefer to be in an actual mall instead, but it had been sunny outside for a few days and so she had to make do with this.

I walked down the stairs, settling at my piano. I hadn't played it much since Bella had entered my life, wanting to spend all my time with her, and so I played a couple of scales to check the tuning. It was still in check, and I ran through songs I knew off by heart – a song I had wrote about Esme, a song I had wrote for Alice – before moving onto a new tune that had been weaving its way through my thoughts ever since the battle.

There had been a long mourning ceremony, and a large celebration to celebrate the lives of all the ones who had fallen in the short but devastating battle. The hardest part was seeing the twins that Bella had spoken of so fondly and joked about with Ronald; Loriane's stomach had been nearly gouged out, and her brother had sobbed over her body for hours, not letting anyone else near her. Looking at how much they looked alike, it was almost hard to imagine them apart. They fit each other so perfectly that if they hadn't been related they probably would have been mates, as disturbing as that kind of sounds.

Though many of the Soul Fliers died, the worst thing to happen to our division was one of the wolves had been ganged up upon, and had received many deep gouges alone the face and the legs. Carlisle had dressed the wounds to keep out the infection as the cuts healed quickly, and the wolves had left hours before us, though the infamous Jacob had tried to stick around. He had grown tired of my glaring after only ten minutes, taking off to after the pack to try and catch up. Bella had smiled slightly at me, knowing the cause for his abrupt departure.

I had stayed near her side during the ceremonies, and had clung to her when she finally allowed the tears to fall. She had sobbed with all the others of her kind while my family and I wished that we could share in our grief in the same way, but our tear ducts hadn't shed anything but venom since our change.

As my fingers danced over the keys, I remembered the trip home; Bella hadn't moved from my lap the entire way, gripping my shirt as she slept and pulling on my hands when she was awake. She didn't talk much, but we all knew she was grieving. Even though it was apparent that she had hated the man with a passion, she was too sweet of a soul to handle the idea that she was the one who ended his life. She was the one who had thrown his body into the fire (they cremated all of their bodies, as was tradition) and said the prayer, ending it with a fluttering of her hands that resembled a bird in flight.

The melody I was weaving was bright and joyous, with a fierce and beautiful tone running underneath it. At times the chords clashed together, creating a cacophony of sound, before smoothing out again and streaming back into the main theme: love. No, this song wasn't love; this song was _Bella_. I could practically hear the bright colours she was always wearing in the notes, her personality and her fighting racing through the happy notes in a quick dance. As it fell to an end, an eerie tone joined the harmony, once again clashing through the piece as it came to the inevitable end that all songs need. I had never written a song as quickly as I had in those moments.

I had been so into my playing that I hadn't taken noticed of the thrumming heartbeat and the soft footsteps as the entered the room. I only became aware of Bella's presence as she began clapping behind me. I turned towards her, smiling as I took in the wide smile on her face.

"That was lovely, Edward," she said. "You told me you could play; I should have assumed that you were amazing." If I could have blushed, I would have at that moment. "Will you play for me later?"

I was confused, and I'm sure my face showed it. "Why not now?"

She laughed at me, skipping forward to grab my hand and pull me out of my seat and out of the room. "Because I have other plans for us at this moment, my dear."

"What other plans?" I asked her, trying to remember if we had decided to so anything together today.

"You'll see," she smiled back at me, jumping into the air and shifting midway. I don't think I'd ever get used to how beautiful she was in this form – she was too amazing that I couldn't find a word to describe her properly. I couldn't quite believe she was _mine_, but she reminded me of that fact every day.

I followed after her as she weaved in and out between the trees, leaving me deeply into the forest. I didn't have the slightest idea of where she was leading me, but in a few minutes I could see the tell-tale sign of light shattering through the trees – there was a clearing up ahead.

I ran faster, knowing where we were going now, and as I stepped out into the light I took in the scene. Someone – Bella, I'm assuming – had been by to lay out a picnic blanket and enough food for one, with the classic red and white checkered blanket and everything. There was a vase of bright purple flowers in the middle, and I could smell the sweet scent coming off of them; it was all over the clearing. There was twinkle lights sprung up in the trees that were connected to some sort of mini generator – I guessed that they would come on later.

"I felt so bad about cutting our date short," Bella said quietly from behind me. "I wanted to make it up to you somehow."

"Bella," I laughed, shocked that she had done this. "You don't need to feel bad about that – I completely understand why you did that."

"I know," she spoke quietly again. "But… I still wanted a first date. Can we try again, forget the last one happened?"

I gathered her in my arms, laying little kisses all over her face. She giggled before clasping my head in her small hands and pressing her lips firmly to mine, leaning in to me as she showed me how much she loved me. I sent my love back to her through the contact, as well, hoping she would feel it. I knew she had when she smiled.

"I think I'd be filling to do anything for you," I said as we broke away, leading her towards the blanket and sitting down, pulling her into my lap. I took one of the flowers from the vase and placed it behind her ear, breathing in her scent with the scent of the lovely foliage. She bit her lip, reaching for her food (would you guess that she had a salad?) and eating it slowly, leaning into me all the while. It had been rather late when we started out here, and before she was done eating the twinkle lights came on, lighting up the meadow with a soft, flickering light. I smiled, burying my face in her neck, delighting in her giggle.

"Does this make up for me basically cancelling our date?"

"Of course it does; I'm just glad that you're with me," I told her, laying her on her back on the blanket, hovering over her. She giggled again, before sighing as I began lifting her shirt up over her head.

She was wearing green.

**{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}**

Life was perfect after Bella; I will forever be glad that she picked me over her, and would always wonder if there were other immortals out there. If we could exist, and the wolves could exist, and Bella's kind could exist, surely it was possible that there were others. Bella had said that she didn't know for sure, but there were stories of her kind going up against immortals that were unlike us and the wolves, and we could only assume that they were of a different species. Carlisle and Jasper were at work once again, but the research was proving to be just as futile as the search for Bella's species had been. We wouldn't stop, though; not until we'd proved for sure whether there were others out there or not.

I had to agree with the person who had written the legend of the Soul Fliers, though; the immortal species had definitely returned and helped us. The 'Bringers of Light' had brought light into my eternal darkness, and I would forever cherish the bright spark of fire they had sent me.

I would forever cherish Bella.

**{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}**

**And that's the end. It's all over. Other than the outtakes, you can say 'bon voyage' to **_**Soul Fliers**_**. I really enjoyed writing this story, but in a way I'm also glad it's finally done. Now I can focus on other things.**

**Let me know what you think, and if you have anything you would like to see in an outtake, let me know!**

**Review and remember me.**


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